No Promises
by Onesie Queen
Summary: Self-disgust filled almost every fiber of my being, consuming me in a sea of guilt and shame. How could this happen? "You love them, don't you?" It was painful to nod my head. "Yes. Both of them." I was the absolute worst.
1. Chapter 1

**First Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I only own Hayden because she is mine forever and ever.**

 **Author's Note:**

HELLO. x)

I can't even begin on where to explain myself for this new story. It literally just came out of nowhere. I SHOULD be doing other things _cough cough_ my other two stories _cough cough._ But alas. I have no shame. xD (Have no fear, though, I have been working on those two frequently. I've just spent a lot of time deleting them because they weren't satisfying.)

This story will be a huge mix between the movies and the books. Just a fair warning.

Oh well. Please read on, beautiful people!

 **Edited as of:** January 25, 2018

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter O.N.E_

_"The Beginning"_

 _"Those who don't believe in Magic will never find it." -_ Roald Dahl

* * *

The Platform was less crowded this year. I had spent all morning bracing myself to fight through the onslaught of students and parents and siblings with my parents just to get to the train, but after halting on the other side of the barrier, I realized how entirely unnecessary it was. The crowd that stood before me was nothing compared to the first four years of my train ride to school. Of course, there were still plenty of people taking up space to make it seem like the Platform was busy, but I knew better. A good portion of parents had pulled their children from Hogwarts this year. Mainly because the stupid prats read the Daily Prophet and believed all the horseshit it was spouting all summer.

 _Idiots, all of them._

"It's so tense here," said my Mom, Katarina, quietly, surveying the area with arms criss-crossing her chest tightly. My Dad, Ezra, rubbed a hand over her bicep soothingly, mimicking Mom's concerned gaze. She readily accepted the touch, leaning a tad closer to him. "It feels like I could break the tension with a butter knife."

There was no hiding the worried gazes on the parents around us. Their children were kept close and wands were kept even closer. It's like they expected an attack any second now.

"You could be talking a pitch too loudly and everyone here will be mean bugging you until they leave," I agreed lowly, giving my trolley a small shove to get it going. "Nobody trusts anyone right now. Hardly even their friends and least of all strangers." My parents kept close to my back as I weaved through the clusters of people that littered the Platform. A few groups noticed me coming and graciously moved out of the way, only sparing me a wary glance before turning back to a previous conversation.

"That's a little much, don't you think, dear?" Asked my Dad with an arched brow. He dodged a shoulder that was supposed to hit him rather harshly. The attacker didn't falter in his steps, maintaining a steady gait out of the Platform. I glared at him, cursing my inability to use magic outside of school. Mom's lips pulled into a frown.

"I'm being honest, Dad. People are scared nowadays."

Scared was an understatement. Much of the magical community was vehemently denying the signs that were being thrown in their faces like bright neon lights and were turning their noses up at the people who said otherwise. Of course, the only credible source anyone had was a then fourteen-year-old boy and that wasn't entirely convincing to anyone. Even Dumbledore, who was rumored and talked about for his wisdom and judgement, wasn't making any progress in this area and he was a well-known, very respected wizard among the community and the Ministry.

Dad creeped closer to my ear and leaned down, at least having the common sense to lower his voice with his next words, to which I was eternally grateful for. "It's not just about that Dark Wizard you told us about, is it?"

Being a Muggle, Dad had no idea about the line he had just crossed with that comment. It was an invisible line, but it was treated as if it was a real line that actually stood at the tips of our toes. It was such a sensitive topic right now that it was almost taboo to even hint at it. The idea of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named returning after fourteen years of relative peace was something no witch or wizard wants to accept. It couldn't be possible in their minds. Ludacris. Preposterous. Impossible. _Unreal._

"He's the biggest cause," I mumbled back, scowling at a pair of girls who were giving my parents distasteful looks. They quickly looked away and hurried onto the train with a suitcase and a cage in hand. Pureblood prejudice was almost ridiculous anymore. "The Ministry is being tight-lipped about it. Fudge has been discrediting the Headmaster ever since the Tournament ended and has been blaming every misfortune that's happened so far on Sirius Black." Which I honestly thought was completely stupid since what evidence was given to the public was nothing close to what Black would do. It was too barbaric, too gruesome. He may have murdered thirteen Muggles, plus Pettigrew, but those were hardly considered violent compared to what was happening around the world.

Mom let out an unlady-like snort. I halted us before an aide, handing him some bags to be passed inside while Dad grabbed my one suitcase and Mom grabbed my True Owl, Finny. He gave a hoot in greeting to her and ruffled his white-speckled brown feathers primly. "I will never understand your leader. He is taking ignorance to a whole other level." Mom's voice was louder than what she had intended, but I still rounded on her sharply.

"Mom!" I hissed. A few adults _—a Pureblood bunch from their rich-looking cloaks_ _—_ were looking our way, a man reaching casually into his sleeve where I had no doubt he kept his wand. The look in his eyes practically screamed the urge to fire a few hexes our way. " _Please_ have some sort of filter when we're surrounded by wizards. Talk like that will get us in trouble."

And since my Mom was such a proud person, her sharp reply back didn't surprise me. "Ignorance is not the way to run a vast magical community. Non-witch I may be, but politics is still politics no matter what the race is." She turned her nose up stubbornly in a way that I knew I mirrored, green eyes narrowed down at me.

I managed a short laugh to appease her. "The Daily Prophet would get a kick out of your thoughts, Mom." Especially that God awful Skeeter woman. She opened her mouth, but I quickly cut her off. "I'm not disagreeing with you. In fact, I agree with you, but I hold little sway here considering I'm a Muggleborn witch." My lips twitched into a sardonic smile.

Dad thankfully came to the rescue and placed a kiss on Mom's cheek. "We didn't come here to talk politics, Kat," He reminded her kindly, smiling at her with gentle hazel eyes. "Our oldest isn't coming back home until Christmas. Do you really want her last words from us to be about politics?"

Mom's cheeks flushed bright pink as she sniffed dismissively, trying to retain some of her dignity with the action. Dad chuckled, planting a loud kiss on her cheek one more time before giving me a semi-stern look. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from giggling. "Do try and stay out of trouble this year, Hayden," Said Dad, giving me his sternest glare. It failed because my lips easily split into a wicked grin. Both of my parents gave me unimpressed looks.

"Your father is right, Hayden," Mom pressed. "We get more letters from your Head of House than we do our monthly bills!"

My grin refused to fade. "Professor McGonagall gave up on controlling me back in second year when I spent the entire winter break turning Malfoy's knees backwards for calling Granger the M-word." I shrugged carelessly. "You wouldn't be getting as many letters if Snape didn't seem to have a sixth sense for when I cause trouble and insist that McGonagall take appropriate action. The stingy bastard always manages to catch me and _relishes_ giving me detention."

"Language," Snapped Mom, cuffing the back of my head quickly. I whined a little bit, rubbing the spot that throbbed.

"It's true, though! Professor Snape is _always_ the first one there after a prank well done! He always looks so smug that he catches me, too." I mumbled that last part petulantly. The aide took my last bag and I thanked him as he left us alone.

Dad rubbed his nose with a hand, pinching the area. "Try to be discreet about it, then," He insisted. "Give this Malfoy boy a break and—"

"I can assure you," a silky, cold voice interrupted, "that my son doesn't need your interference about what happens at his school."

I almost didn't turn around. I about grabbed both my parents and hurried them off to avoid talking to the man who was without a doubt towering over me. They had never had to hear the words I did at school. I didn't want them to hear it now either, but Dad's eyes were already looking behind me and Mom looked just the tiniest bit appalled. Swallowing, I forced myself to face the music.

Now, I wasn't some harlot who pursued older men _—I had standards, damn it_ _—_ but not even the logical side could beat aside the hormones that never failed to make an appearance at inappropriate times. The female in me was very pleased at what she saw. She ogled the black suit that was tailored to fit Lucius Malfoy in all the right places, snug around his biceps and broad shoulders and comfortably loose around his wrists, waist, and lower body. The man _was_ attractive with his long blonde hair, aristocratic face, and stormy grey eyes. What always derailed those thoughts, however, was the sneer that was perpetually on his lips and the contempt that was clearly showing in those grey eyes.

The situation got even more fantastic when Narcissa and Draco Malfoy sauntered up and flanked the man's sides. Narcissa, whose face was very beautiful and whose elegance made me endlessly envious, was perfectly poised by her husband, expression cool as she regarded us. Malfoy's sneer mirrored his father's almost perfectly, blonde hair falling naturally instead of gelled back and posture reeking of superiority.

"Walters," He greeted mockingly. "I'm surprised you decided to show your face this year."

My eyes narrowed. "Malfoy." My own lips copied his sneer. It was very easy to do. "Did you have a good summer fearing every Ferret you came across? I'm sure everyone got a real laugh watching the infamous young Malfoy running in terror from a small furry animal."

He didn't appreciate the reminder, eyebrow twitching. I would never let the cocky prat forget that embarrassing moment in his life. It would haunt him till the day he died and I'd be sure to bring it back up at his funeral. "Were you still washing out all the colors of the rainbow from your hair this summer? You did an awful job. I'm pretty sure there's some pink and yellow still there." My hand twitched, itching to reach up and confirm it. Those two colors clashed _horrendously_ with my natural hair, but I knew it wasn't there, though. Mom had made very sure of that.

"Well, considering how you ran from Professor Moody every time you saw him during meals or in the halls, I'm surprised you're actually returning to school and gracing us with your wonderful presence after that embarrassment."

"I wouldn't willingly grace you with my presence even if you begged me for it, Walters," He retorted. He brushed back some blonde hair that fell into his eyes.

Ugh. If he wasn't such a jackass, I'd almost say that the guy was attractive. He certainly wasn't hideous to look at. If only he had a personality change, he'd be more desirable in my eyes.

"I'd be dead before I begged to a git like you, Malfoy." His eyes flashed, a hand reaching towards his pocket. I almost laughed out loud at his pitiful attempt of being discreet. Narcissa noticed his movement and made a move that almost looked like it was going to stop him. There was the sharp sound of something solid hitting flesh and Malfoy was suddenly bowed slightly, a hand rubbing his stomach from having the breath knocked out of him by Lucius' cane. Mom inhaled sharply and I didn't miss the fury in Narcissa's gaze before she covered it.

"Mind your tongue, Draco," Lucius said smoothly, giving his son a disapproving look. "Do not rise to such meaningless banter."

"Yes, Father," He grumbled, straightening himself up accordingly. He was too tense to be completely okay with the movement. That had to have hurt and I had the sudden urge to hit Lucius with his own cane to see how much he liked it.

 _Children were not meant to be hit like that. Ever._

"I'm sorry," Dad interjected slowly, watching the family warily, "but is that really necessary, sir? Surely your son didn't _—_ "

"You would do well to stay out of my family business," said the Malfoy Patriarch in a chilling voice. "A lowly Muggle like yourself wouldn't understand the delicacy of handling an unruly child to a prominent family."

Mom bristled out of the corner of my eye and I realized that I was just as tense as she was after that particularly rude comment. She made to step around me. "Now hold on _—_ " My arm shot out and Mom wheezed when she ran right into it. Dad's hands pulled her back by her shoulders, whispering into her ear as she caught her breath.

"I'd appreciate you minding your manners, Mr. Malfoy," I suggested coolly, playing off the Pureblood's need for proper etiquette. The coldness in his eyes said that he caught my subtle threat and I flashed a sweet smile at him. "Did you need anything else? If not, your son and I should really be boarding before the third whistle sounds and the train leaves without us." As if agreeing with me, the first warning whistle sounded. Students were immediately hustled onto the train, though many refused to come in the door we were by, wisely keeping their distance and not dawdling around to watch.

Lucius cocked his head just slightly to his right, maintaining eye contact with me. "Of course. We wouldn't want that at all. It'd be a shame if you weren't able to go back this year, Ms. Walters." There was a noise of displeasure from one of my parents before quiet mutterings were heard. I fought the urge to scowl at the Patriarch. The man was a Grade A asshole for sure. "Oh, but do take care to study harder this year, Draco." I blinked at the rather random topic change, but otherwise stayed silent. "It would do you some good to top of your class for once." Draco winced, brushing off Narcissa's hand when it touched his shoulder.

"Yes, Father."

I couldn't stop the silver platter of a remark that was practically handed to me. "Oh yes, you're gonna need all the study time you can get if you want to beat Granger at her own game, Ferret." Somehow, my smile grew sweeter. "It's funny how a Muggleborn witch has managed to be top of our year for four years now while a Pureblooded Malfoy has been second best for equal that time."

"Hayden!" Snapped Dad, scandalized. Malfoy's face was absolutely thunderous, his wand in hand and pointed at my throat as he invaded my personal space. My parent's protests were barely heard over the roar of my heartbeat.

"Watch your mouth, you filthy Mudbood," He snarled, the smell of spearmint wafting heavily into my nose. It almost distracted me from what was happening. "Granger is not better than _—_ " He froze. Narcissa called his name, but he didn't respond. It amused me to no end that he hadn't even seen me draw my wand.

"You know," I whispered, pressing my wand just a bit more firmly into his throat and leaning closer, "one would think after the first twenty times I sent you to the Hospital Wing, you'd have learned how much I really hate that word, Malfoy." He tensed when I put more force on his throat. "I wonder just how many more hexes it'll take before you finally get the hint."

While I knew Malfoy could trump me any day academically, I knew I could take, if not equal, him in a duel. He was a strong wizard _—anyone with a brain could see how gifted the Malfoy Heir was_ _—_ and it was probably the one area where I would let his arrogance slide. He deserved to be proud of his abilities because he _was_ strong.

However, the prat was almost purely offensive. He knew a lot of spells that could do damage and said damage would certainly put the defender in the Hospital, but if an equally powerful spell was thrown his way, he was screwed. His shields were weak and his form was never perfect, despite it being said to him multiple times by teachers to better himself defensively. And because he refused to do so, he was just asking for a well-placed _Stupefy_ to send him flying. He'd learned that the hard way last year during breakfast once.

The detention I had gotten from Professor Snape for that little stunt was well worth the expression on the blonde's face.

The look of cold fury on Lucius Malfoy's face could make a baby cry instantly, while Narcissa looked torn between being spitting angry or worried about the fuse her husband was about to blow. I ignored the hands gripping the back of my shirt, tugging but not using enough force to move me. Malfoy had to learn eventually that I wasn't a pushover and that I would fight back just to prove a point, consequences be damned.

"Now, really!" We all tensed at the shrill voice, flashes of red moving out of the corner of my eye. A glance to my right showed Molly Weasley, her entire family minus the three older boys in tow with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger in the back with Ron, standing with hands on wide hips and looking quite angry. She didn't seem to notice the pleased expression on her children's faces at seeing Malfoy held at wand point. "This is a public area, you lot! Put those wands away and go your separate ways before someone gets hurt!"

I almost laughed at Fred and George, both of whom were making gestures at the blond in front of me and miming strangling motions. I could never tell which one was which, but I think it was Fred who gave me a thumbs up while George gave me silent approving claps behind their mother's back.

I gave Draco a freezing smile. "You heard her, Malfoy, put your wand away."

The boy snorted rudely, scowling furiously at me. "The Blood Traitor was talking to you, too, Mudblood." The pleased expressions on the kids instantly vanished, replaced by dark looks and angry frowns. Hermione cringed at the word and Harry scowled at Malfoy's back. The Twins even stepped forward, Ron and Ginny a step behind with wands drawn from the three boys. Heat flashed through my veins and before I could reign in my temper, my knee was already harshly implanted into his gut in the same area Lucius had hit him in.

"Draco!"

"Hayden!"

"You will never learn, Ferret!" I snarled, snatching his wand out of his hand before he could gasp a spell out. The wood seemed to warm uncomfortably in my fingers, but it was easily ignored. "Just how many times do we have to keep doing this before it gets through your thick skull?!"

"That's enough, Hayden!" Mr. Weasley was quick to get between us, his back to me as he forced me back. "Give the young Malfoy his wand so that he can go and you can finish boarding."

"I'd rather hex him with it instead, Arthur," I said coldly, clenching said wand tighter. The heat was almost unbearable at this point, the skin around the wood sizzling painfully. Clearly the wand didn't like me touching it. And I clearly forgot my manners, calling Mr. Weasley by his given name so callously like that.

 _Which hex_ _should I use today, laws be damned? The knee-switching is getting a bit old. Maybe Jelly-Legs? A Tickle hex? What about that boils hex Lavender showed me last year? Decisions, decisions..._

I wouldn't get the option. The second whistler shrilled loudly. "Put those away this instant," Narcissa finally demanded, voice terse and clipped as she glared at the Twins and Ron, all of whom had their wands still trained on Malfoy, who was standing slouched with a hand rubbing his stomach. All three cast her dirty looks, but a quick hit to their heads from Mrs. Weasley had them conceding. Nobody noticed Ginny's hand in her pocket nor how we made eye contact over her mother's shoulder, her sharp eyes never wavering from Narcissa's approaching form.

I was thankful someone was ready to jump to my defense, not that I wasn't grateful to the Twins and Ron for drawing their wands so quickly.

"If you won't give Draco his wand, then give it to me." She held a hand out that was flawlessly pale and long-fingered. "You can at least be reassured that I will be the civil one here, Ms. Walters." She silenced any noises from the two men behind her with a glare, her beautiful face contorting into something terrifying.

Realizing the Malfoy Matriarch was right, I placed the wand into her hand, careful not to touch her skin in the process. My hand gave a burning throb. I struggled not to visibly flinch. Narcissa gave a firm nod in thanks, handing the wand to her son, whom she forced onto the train with a pointed finger and a scowl, and ushering her husband away from us once Draco and his luggage was out of sight.

Mom was the first to break out of the silence with a harsh head slap. I recoiled away from her, wide-eyed and horribly confused. "What in the world was that for?!"

"Hayden Alice Walters!" I froze at my full name and yelped when she started hitting any part of my body that she could reach. "I don't know where you get off bad-mouthing someone like that, but I know I taught you better than that!"

"He deserved it," Protested one of the Twins. I think it was Fred.

"Malfoy is a git," Agreed George, sending a glare at the door as if to reinforce his point. "It's about time someone hit him, anyway." He gave a wide grin at his brother, one that was quickly mirrored. "Nice kick, by the way. You should _—_ "

" _—_ do that more often," Fred finished.

"Just don't let a teacher catch you," George added snarkily.

"Snape would have a field day catching you." George nodded wisely at Fred's words, looking for the world like he was hearing advice from Merlin himself. Neither of them were completely wrong.

"Fred, George! Do not encourage such behavior!" Mrs. Weasley admonished. Harry and the other Weasley siblings snickered behind their hands. Even Mr. Weasley looked hard pressed not to smile.

"I don't think Hayden needs any more encouragement," Said Harry teasingly. "She's been giving Filch and Snape runs for their money since Day One." I grinned saucily and winked at him. He knew me so well by now even though we were hardly considered close friends.

Mom threw her hand up, jostling Finny, who gave her a baleful hoot. "Wizards!" She thrust Finny into my arms, being gentle, of course, and gave me a sour look. I immediately eased his cage off my burned appendage, switching it to my left hand. "Onto the train, you little witch. And don't forget to write to us and your sister!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Mom." I gave her cheek a kiss and wrapped Dad in a one armed hug. "I'll see you both at Christmas. And keep reminding Sis to take care of Echo!"

"Will do," Chorused my parents.

"You lot get going, too," Mr. Weasley said. Ron and Ginny hurried in with Hermione and Harry right behind them, all of them fumbling with their luggage and animals. One of the Twins snagged my bag along with all of their bags, both giving me cheeky winks at my indignant look and disappeared.

"Those prats," I grumbled, mentally appreciating their help. I didn't have a lot of stuff in that bag, but it was still heavy considering how little muscle I had on my body. The adults all laughed behind me. A black shaggy dog sitting by Mrs. Weasley gave a bark, tail wagging and dark eyes sparkling. It was almost human-like, that sparkle.

 _I don't recall ever seeing this dog being with the group when they joined us ten minutes ago. I doubt it's a friendly stray, either._ I eyed the dog curiously, my head tilting unconsciously. That look in its eyes was strange, too. A lesson in Transfiguration last year came to mind suddenly. _I wonder..._

"Hayden?" I shook my head at Mom's questioning tone.

"It's nothing." I waved them all goodbye and boarded the train just as the door slid shut and the train gave a startling lurch forward. Many students still littered the corridor, half their bodies hanging out the window and waving to parents that grew smaller and smaller. Laughing drew my attention and I looked out to see the black dog, who was loping alongside the train, yipping until we rounded a bend and it disappeared from sight. Finny hooted at the noise being made, flapping his wings in annoyance.

"I know, sweet one," I cooed to him, rubbing the smooth feathers on his neck. He preened under the affection. "We'll find somewhere quiet, I promise." I frowned at the lack of red hair in the hall. "We just have to find those blasted Twins first."

"Now that's rude." Fred's head popped out of the compartment behind me, red eyebrow arched. His grin belied his serious words. George leaned over his brother, waving energetically at me. I returned the wave more moderately. "We help you carry your luggage in and you curse us?" Fred shook his head.

"I didn't ask you to help me, ya know," I reminded him.

Fred gave a cheeky grin. "It's only polite to _—_ "

" _—_ help a young lady with her things. We're _—_ "

" _—_ perfect gentlemen, after all," Chorused both boys, looking pleased.

I snorted. "Keep telling yourselves that, you two." I was only joking and I knew they could hear it in my voice. Despite their pranks, I knew Mrs. Weasley ingrained manners into the two boys. They were angels underneath their devil disguises. "Is my suitcase in there with you?" Identical shrugs was my answer. I rolled my eyes. "Move over, you pranksters."

The compartment wasn't filled with just the Weasley brothers. A dark skinned boy with unruly curly hair sat on the lone side, digging through an impressive stash of candy. He looked up and beamed at me. "Hey, Hayden!" Lee Jordan greeted. He swatted at the wandering hands rifling through his candy, but let Fred and George have the Every Flavor Beans they had managed to snatch with no more than a mock glare.

"Hello, Lee."

Fred sniggered. "That rhymed fantastically."

"Good one, Lee," Agreed George, opening up the box and offering a white bean to Fred. I mentally guessed the white bean to be marshmellow flavored, unconsciously playing a game my sister and I constantly played whenever we got our hands on the candy.

"Hardy-har, you're so funny," I said sarcastically. I blinked when both Twins scooted out and made room for me in the middle. I took the offered spot, setting Finny's cage in front of me and letting him out. He quickly hopped into my lap and shook himself once, both of us relaxing into our seats.

Lee shrugged. "I think they're a riot."

"You're biased," I retorted. I scratched at a spot on Finny's chest that I knew he loved to have rubbed. He gave off a series of coos, eyes half-lidding. I smiled. "You're their best friend."

"That doesn't mean anything," Fred disagreed. He laughed at the disgusted look on George's face. He must've gotten something nasty. Probably fish. Ugh. "Being our best friend just means he's one of our first test dummies for a new product!"

"Not unless I bring a willing victim first. After that whole canary fiasco, you can bet that I'm gonna avoid being the test subject again."

I looked towards both Twins in disbelief. "Canary fiasco?" I questioned. Lee groaned into his hands while Fred and George laughed loudly.

"Don't ask," He pleaded. He cast the cackling hyenas a dark look. "It wasn't a good moment in my life."

Fred was the one who recovered first, though he still snickered under his breath as he reached into his pocket and held up a small wrapped present. I carefully took it, wary. A sweet aroma was coming from the simple silver wrapping. It smelled very appealing to me.

"What is this?" I asked, holding up to my face. The smell really was delicious. I felt almost compelled to open it and throw it right into my mouth.

"Eat it," Fred insisted, eyes sparkling mischievously. Lee looked a cross between saying something and just watching.

Now, I was never close with the Twins during my time at Hogwarts. They were two years older than me and mainly kept to themselves, Lee, or their siblings and I made no effort to join that particular group. However, I knew all about what the boys did in their free time and while this little present looked harmless to my eyes, I knew not to trust it at all.

"I'd rather save it for later," I said crossly, shoving it into my pocket. Finny eyed my pocket, hooting when I tapped his beak to gain his attention away from the treat.

"Scared?" George tried to goad. I didn't fall for it.

I gave him an innocent smile. "Far from it. I just don't feel like eating it right now when it could be saved for the inevitable first day of Divination."

"Merlin, I hope you have someone there to record Trelawney's reaction when you eat that!" Fred cackled, throwing an arm across my shoulders casually with an easy grin. Blood rushed to my face despite my best efforts. I could easily feel the muscles that lined his arm, likely from his many years as Beater on the Quidditch team, against my neck and shoulders.

 _Merlin's drawers, I'd bet he could easily have his way with me with arms like those._

Where in the ever loving hell did that come from?! My face instantly grew hotter at that thought and I scrambled for another topic to talk about.

"Oh, come on, Forge," George teased, slapping his twin's arm off me. "You're gonna scare away our potential test subject!" If it had been anyone else, I would've given them an earful for even suggesting that so easily. I knew the Twins weren't like that, though.

"I oughta hex you for that one, Weasley," I grumbled half-heartedly. "Go find some witless first year to torture with your inventions."

"It's a good thing we have our charms to get us through then!" They chorused. Lee laughed at them before launching into a one-sided debate about something he had researched over the summer. I was internally grateful when they included me in on the conversation on multiple occasions. It was a welcoming distraction from my suddenly disturbing thoughts about Quidditch arms.

* * *

The rest of the train ride flew by and before we all knew it, we were all cramming into a carriage as a group of four, me sitting by George and Fred and Lee across from us. My eyes never left the skeletal black horses that nickered and shook out their manes as they took us up to the castle. They were strange creatures, Thestrals. All three of the boys noticed that my attention wasn't on them and they did their damned best to regain it. It wasn't until Finny gave an angry hoot that I began to pay more attention to the boys.

"Would you stop messing with him?" I snipped at the Twins and Lee, who were poking and prodding Finny with gentle fingers. I would've hexed and fed them to the Giant Squid if they dared hurt him. "He obviously doesn't want your attention."

"He's such a moody owl," Lee commented, admiring my bird. I was oddly proud that he liked Finny, who had been my animal companion since my first year. "He's so temperamental and cranky."

"Have someone poke you constantly and tell me how you like it, then." Finny seemed to agree for he was quick to nip Lee's finger when it got too close to his beak. Lee jerked back with a yelp and held up his bleeding finger to me.

"He bit me!"

I arched an eyebrow, unperturbed. "You deserved it." The Twins laughed at my reply. I gave both boys a reluctant high-five when they held up their hands expectantly. I gave Lee a spare band aid from my pocket, lips twitching at the pout on his face. He gave the band aid a critical look.

"Finny's a nipper," I answered his unspoken question. "People should really learn to listen to the person who raised him instead of disregarding their words."

"Then why hasn't he bit Fred or George?!" I looked at Finny, who was eyeballing the fingers still gently rubbing his feathers and seemed to be reluctantly relaxing with the ministrations they were giving him. I hummed absently, wrapping my arms around me just a bit tighter to ward off the cold air that was suddenly making itself known. My slightly burned hand relished the cool air that was blowing over it.

"He must like them for some reason. He's normally very picky around people."

"He senses your bad intentions, Lee," Teased Fred, smirking at his friend.

"He must know you intend to use him for your evil experiments," Added George, also smirking. Lee squawked at them, mouth falling open and arms flailing.

"You two are the evil doers here! Not me!"

"I think there needs to be an intervention, Lee," I soothed, reaching across to pat his shoulder. "If you have ill intentions towards my owl, I'm afraid you'll have to be separated from him." My tone became sarcastic. "It's okay to talk about what's going on inside. There's no need to be shy."

Lee huffed and waved my hand away. He turned his nose up and pointedly ignored me. I laughed alongside the Twins the rest of the way up to the castle, pleased with myself. Lee hopped out of his seat, Fred and George following after. Both red heads held out a hand for me to take and my cheeks burned, but I gratefully took both hands and let them help me down. We left our luggage on the carriage _—the house elves would take them up to the tower for us and I resolved to go visit them sometime this week_ _—_ and started up the steps. I let Finny out of his cage and, with a promise to share some treats with him at breakfast tomorrow, sent him off to the Owlery for sleep after the long trip.

The Great Hall was warm and welcoming compared to the slight chill that had been outside. Hundreds upon hundreds of candles floated feet above the four House tables, illuminating the bewitched ceiling and the dark storm clouds that floated by through the sky. Many students were already seated and eating, their voices echoing all across the Hall and the smell of pumpkin and pie crust particularly strong right now. The Twins and Lee were quick to steal seats close to Harry, Fred and George once again leaving a space in the middle of them for me.

 _I feel like this might become a habit and I'm not quite sure how to feel about it._

It was strange that I was suddenly on speaking terms with the Twins after four years of being here and never having so much as a conversation with them. It felt like I was intruding on their dynamic with Lee, but I was pleasantly surprised at their willingness to include me in their small circle. It was...I didn't have a good enough word to describe it, but it was enjoyable, to put it inadequately.

"God, I've missed this food," Lee groaned around a mouthful of potatoes, piling his plate with a type of casserole and chicken. "I haven't had anything this amazing all summer."

"That's a harsh jab to your parents if I've ever heard one," I commented, grabbing a little bit of potatoes and what I was hoping was some version of a cranberry salad. It was slightly difficult using a fork in my left hand when I'm predominantly right-handed, but it was a bit painful to use that hand right now. I snatched a piece of pumpkin pie away from Lee's grabbing fingers, smirking at his squawk of protest. He pursed his lips at me in a mock frown and settled for grabbing a strawberry crepe instead.

"Neither of my parents can cook to save their lives," He complained. "It's a wonder we're still alive." He glared at the Twins. "You're lucky you have such a fantastic cook like Mrs. Weasley."

I could barely control my jaw from dropping at the sheer amount of food that was piled on both boys' plates. It was almost up to their chests! It was ridiculous, but I found myself just a bit jealous. Where the hell did all of that food go? I hardly believed Quidditch kept them from burning off all of those calories. I just looked at a pizza my Mom makes and I gain five pounds!

"Don't be jealous, Lee," Fred said, waving his fork at him. George nodded, copying Fred's movements.

"It's quite unbecoming of our business partner to be jealous over something so silly."

"It's not silly, you two," I objected, taking a bite of the salad. I practically shook in happiness. It was indeed a version of cranberry salad and quite possibly the best I've ever had. "Mothers make the best food in the whole world. Although the house elves here are making it difficult to stick to that mindset."

"My mother obviously doesn't fit that stereotype," Lee deadpanned, moodily eating his crepe.

The Hall quieted when the Great Hall doors were pushed open and in walked Professor McGonagall with a train of frightened first years scampering after her, a stool and an ancient-looking wizard's hat with a wide rip in her hands. The first years stopped before the staff table, McGonagall setting down the stool first and then placing the hat on it. She took a step back and waited. A moment of silence and then the hat's rip opened wide like a mouth and burst into song.

It spoke a lot of the founding of Hogwarts, speaking of Salazar, Rowena, Godric, and Helga respectively, the expectations and hopes for their individual Houses, and then it descended into the discord that began to form between the Houses. Slytherin himself left in a fury and abandoning the once band of four to a band of three. It didn't stop there, though. The Sorting Hat sang of a warning, Hogwarts being in danger and that unity is what will save us. With that final line, the hat became motionless. There was a scattered applause and whispers began circulating.

"I've never heard of the hat giving out warnings before," I commented, clapping politely with everyone else. I almost felt intimidated by the warning. Hogwarts in danger? The thought made my stomach churn anxiously and I couldn't help but feel like the salad was going to make another unfortunate appearance.

"Well, what would you expect?" George asked. "The thing lives in Dumbledore's office. It's bound to pick up some things, wouldn't you agree?"

I hesitantly answered, "I guess so, but I can't help feeling nervous. It chose an awful time to hand out that particular warning." Especially since He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was apparently running about unsupervised. Fred's hand was suddenly curling in my hair and he gave it a reassuring rub, long fingers being gentle not to pull strands of hair too harshly.

"Don't worry too much about it," He chided, giving me a grin. "Classes haven't even started yet. There's no need to freak out over an old hat's premonition."

"I'm not _freaking out,_ Fred Weasley," I scowled at him as he retracted his hand. "I'm just concerned."

"Don't be concerned then," George chimed in. He laughed at the glare I sent him. Someone down the table shushed us and we all looked up to see McGonagall frowning severely. I shrunk back into Fred's side, using his taller and wider form as a shield. The Sorting went by quickly afterwards, the first boy, "Abercrombie, Euan", coming to our table and the last girl, "Zeller, Rose", running to the cheering Hufflepuff table. Dumbledore's magenta robes caught everyone's attention as he stood up, white beard tossed over his shoulder and his wizard's hat sagging to the side.

"To our newcomers, welcome!" He greeted, a beaming smile on his lips. "To our old hands, welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

"Dumbledore's as barmy as ever!" Lee laughed, cheering alongside the others as even more food weighed down on the table. He was quick to grab the nearest pile of pork chops and some type of sweet smelling sauce.

"How in Merlin's blue knickers are you still hungry?!" I exclaimed in surprise and slight disgust as he started to stuff his face for the second time. His words were muffled around the mouthful of chops in his mouth. Beside him, a brunette first year gave a quiet noise of disgust and moved away from him. My eye twitched. "I'm sorry, I was distracted by the half masticated pig rolling around in your wide open trap. Care to repeat that, Jordan?"

He rolled his eyes and swallowed thickly. " _I said_ that boys have different stomachs for other foods! I saw those delicious pork chops and knew that I was still hungry for more."

"He's not wrong," a boy on his side said. He was rather short and young, but not as young-looking as a first year. Maybe a second or third year? His teeth were beautifully white as he laughed. "There's always plenty of room for food for us growing boys!" He patted his stomach fondly.

"More like garbage disposals," I muttered, eying the way the Twins were equally still eating, but with more grace than Lee, thank God. "You guys are eating everything in sight without even looking at what you're grabbing."

"Food is food," was all that Fred said.

"If it's edible and tastes good, why not eat it?" George asked, reaching for his cup of pumpkin juice.

"There's a limit to how much I can eat in one sitting, Weasley," I said sarcastically. He glanced at my place, which still had a bit of salad and pie on it, and snorted.

"If that's all you're gonna be eating, I have to wonder how you're not dead! You've hardly eaten anything in front of you!"

"I don't need to eat a lot to be full, George," I sighed. This was a conversation I was very much used to. "I don't have a black hole for a stomach." Blue eyes connected with each other over my head, both having a silent conversation, before the redheads began grabbing bits of everything off the plates around them and putting them on mine. My hands were swatted aside when I tried to stop them. "You guys! What on earth are you doing?! Stop it!"

"You need to eat more," George insisted, putting an avocado on my plate.

"You're too skinny as is." Fred slapped my hand when I took the avocado off my plate.

"I don't even like half of this stuff, you two," I complained, hastily tossing the green monstrosity onto Lee's plate. He gave it a contemplative look before he shrugged and cut it open. "Put all of this back. I'm not eating it."

"We'll leave you alone if you eat all of it," They both pressed, looking determined. Lee was snickering into his food like the prat that he was at the attention I was getting from his best friends. I lobbed a piece of turkey at him, hitting him square in the face.

"As if something as simple as that would make you two leave me alone," I scoffed.

"We'll leave you alone about your eating habits," Fred corrected.

"We'll continue to bother you otherwise," George said cheekily. It was only Dumbledore's voice piercing through the Hall that stopped me from pushing George off the bench.

"Now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," He announced. "First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students." Here he gave a few Gryffindors a look, specifically the smirking Twins on both sides of me. " And a few of our older students ought to know by now, too.

"Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door.

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons." I was disappointed at Hagrid's sudden disappearance, but didn't dwell too long on it. Grubbly-Plank had won over a lot of students, mainly girls, last year with her unicorn lesson. I was partially included in that lot despite not having the class, having snuck down with a bunch of other girls to get a peek at the magical creature. "We are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

I certainly wasn't very impressed with this particular lady. She was dressed head to toe in obnoxious pink clothes that clashed with the black robes of Professor Snape, who sat beside her, had ordinary curly brown hair that barely touched her shoulders, and shrewd looking eyes that counteracted the sweet smile on her face. And was she _giggling_ up there?

"Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the _—_ "

 _"Hem, hem."_ I must've been imagining things. There's no where this new teacher had just cut off the Headmaster like that. I was prove wrong when the Headmaster abruptly stopped talking, looking inquiringly at Professor Umbridge, who I hadn't noticed get to her feet and looking for the world like she was about to give the greatest speech known to Man. Her standing hardly compensated for her lack of height. It was like she was still sitting anyway.

"Damn, that woman is short," Lee whispered. The Twins nodded in agreement.

"Look at the teachers," I pointed out lowly. "They don't look very amused." Sprout's eyebrows had disappeared completely into her flyaway hairline and McGonagall's mouth was as thin as I had ever seen it. Even Snape's eyebrow was arched in disbelief.

"That woman obviously doesn't know how Hogwarts is run here," someone to my right muttered furiously as Dumbledore stepped away from his podium to watch Umbridge alertly as she walked around the Head Table and took his place, looking as if he would love nothing more than to hear her talk as she addressed the student body at large.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."

Her voice was almost painfully high-pitched and sugary. I wondered if she had to work to make her voice sound that falsely sweet. I had to hold back a wince as it practically grinded my eardrums and made my head hurt.

"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing teeth that, now that I could see them better, were actually a bit pointed. "And to see such happy little faces smiling up at me." I can assure you, lady, that I was not smiling at you and a quick glance around me showed that everyone else was of a similar mindset. "I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends."

"That's likely," Muttered the Twins under their breaths. I elbowed them both in the side, but there was little force behind the action.

"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan," Parvati, who was sitting diagonally from me, whispered to Lavender. Both girls lapsed into silent giggles, their shoulders shaking. Professor Umbridge sent the three looks, her eyes barely concealing the irritation that I had no doubt that she was feeling, though her smile didn't falter.

"The Ministry of Magic," She began, "has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be a vital importance. Although each Headmaster has brought something new to his historic school," here she gave a nod to Dumbledore, who returned the gesture politely, "progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what can be perfected, and prune practices that ought to be prohibited." She gave a honeyed laugh that was so obviously false, I was surprised her face wasn't pinched with tension from the effort of faking such a laugh. Dumbledore led the room to applause, most of us only clapping once or twice to be polite. The teachers were just as enthusiastic as we were, their claps even less animated than ours.

"That was a load of codswallop if you ask me," Lee said as Dumbledore continued his earlier announcements. "What's that woman's deal anyway, sprouting all of that stuff off?"

"That's not hard to figure out," I said, frowning at our new Professor. "She works for Fudge, doesn't she? We all know how much Fudge _loves_ Dumbledore right now and this woman comes out of nowhere to teach here? That's not coincidence."

"I have a feeling she's going to cause a lot of future problems here," Predicted Fred. His brother nodded in agreement.

"She undoubtedly will," I said. "The Ministry is making a move on Hogwarts. This won't end well for anyone if this is the person Fudge sent in to watch us."

This year was going to busy. I could tell already.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

I'm honestly very nervous posting this, but I'm taking the chance for it! Reviews would be ever so helpful in letting me know if it's passable to you amazing people or if it's a load of shite that needs to be burned and taken down! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, but I beg that it be constructive and not flaming for the sake of flaming. That will help nobody at all except for your satisfied ego of tearing down a nervous author.

Question for this chapter: **What is your opinion on Umbridge, good or bad?**

See you in the next chapter!

~OQ


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Harry Potter series at all. Just Hayden. She's my baby forever and ever.

 **Author's Note:**

HELLOOOOO.

Holy shit, I can't believe it's already September and for the first time in 15 years, I don't have to be concerned about school. It's bittersweet and so very saddening to see my friends starting college and I'm working more hours just to be able to afford to go next year. I miss it already.

Thank you to everyone who favorited, alerted, and reviewed the first chapter! It was such a surprise to see. *Hearts*

To all of you starting school, good luck! Do great! Heads up, shoulders back, and do the best that you can! To those of you who aren't in school, I hope life is treating you well and that you are happy. To those of you coming back for this second chapter, please enjoy. Read on!

 **Edited as of:** January 25th, 2018

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter T.W.O_

_"Connections"_

 _"Everybody deserves somebody who makes them look forward to tomorrow."_ -Unknown

* * *

It was a bit difficult to convince the Twins and Lee to go up to the Tower without me. All three boys were curious _—read_ nosy _—_ about where I was wandering off to right after the Feast ended and were determined to follow after me. No amount of vague words, threats, or bodily harm would get them to leave, so I took drastic measures and turned my wand on them, promising the most painful hex I knew if they didn't go upstairs without me. They relented at that, but not without backwards glances and scowling faces. I had a very strong feeling that all three of them, if at least the Twins, would be up waiting for me to return to continue badgering me.

I was only thankful Professor Snape's sixth sense didn't kick in at that moment. It'd be a new record for me to get detention before classes actually started.

My hand was throbbing painfully at my side, pieces of skin around my fingers burning red, but thankfully not blistering. It still stung like a bitch, though. I was half tempted to just let it heal naturally since it wasn't a _terrible_ burn, but then I remembered how hard I struggled to eat left handed and I came to the quick conclusion that I wasn't feeling starting classes in pain from holding a damn quill since I couldn't write left-handed to save my life and that I definitely learned my lesson about touching other people's wands.

Damn things were as picky as their masters.

 _"The wand chooses the wizard, Ms. Walters. Not the other way around."_

Ollivander wasn't kidding when I first met him in his shop four years ago after getting my cedar wand. And here I was thinking he was just a tad bit crazy in the head when in actuality he really knew what he was talking about. The man deserved more credit than he was given.

I waved to a couple of Ravenclaw students whom I had shared a few classes with over the years rather consistently as they marched their way up the stairs to the fifth floor where I knew their Common Room to be. Clothes of red were mixed in with them, while clothes of green and yellow branched off towards the dungeons and basement respectively. It was getting close to curfew, so I had to make this quick. I was almost positive Madam Pomfrey would give me a free pass or something if I somehow did stay past curfew, but I wasn't going to test the strict Mediwitch so late at night. It was best to get in, have her lecture me and heal my hand, and be on my merry way.

The Hospital Wing doors were closed, but light shone dimly from underneath the edges, most likely from one of the many candles Madam Pomfrey liked to have spread out around the room. Pushing the doors open, I peeked inside, glancing around for the Madam before spotting her near the arched windows, waving her wand to put out the candles placed there. She turned as I walked in and frowned mightily at me.

"Now, really, Ms. Walters!" She said in exasperation as she marched towards me. "Classes haven't even started yet and I'm already being graced by your presence! What have you done this time, hmm? Did young Malfoy hex you again? Are you sick? Did you drink something you shouldn't have? Come on, out with it!"

"Your patience with me holds no limits, Madam," I said, snickering at all of her accusations. She was right to ask me all of those things as they have happened on more than one occasion. "I have not been hexed by the Ferret, I'm not sick, and I haven't drunken any suspicious potions as of yet. I'm actually here for something new."

She arched a greying eyebrow expectantly. "Is that so? Well, what is it then?" I wordlessly held my hand out for her. She carefully took it into her wrinkled, but smooth, hands and watched as I opened up my fingers, revealing the burns. Her lips pinched. "Dare I ask how you got these? They're not terrible, but they're awfully close to second degree burns from the looks of it."

I grinned sheepishly. "Ferret and I got into a fight at the Platform and I might have grabbed his wand without magic."

Madam Pomfrey gave me an impressive glare. "You should know better, Ms. Walters," She scolded severely, dropping my hand and walking swiftly towards the medicine cabinet in her office. She pulled open one of the many drawers and pulled out a tiny white bottle. Opening another door produced tape and gauze. "A wizard's wand does not take lightly to being manhandled like that, especially if said wand belongs to a Malfoy."

"Ferret just needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut and watch what he says." I would never have gotten away with such talk with any of the other teachers. Madam Pomfrey took it all in stride.

"You need to learn to control your temper, young lady," She snapped right back. "Young Malfoy should do the same, as well, but you antagonizing him every step he takes only makes matters worse for both of you." She impatiently motioned for me to hold my hand palm up again. Opening the bottle, she carefully tipped it, letting an orange paste drip out onto her ready palm. My lip curled at the color. I've never liked orange. Especially that specific shade. I winced as she applied the paste, the burns sizzling beneath the medicine and I thought I saw steam actually rising from my hand.

"Why not just use magic to heal the burns?" I asked curiously.

"Wand burns are different than normal burns, Ms. Walters," Madam Pomfrey said stiffly, gently lathering the orange monstrosity up and down my fingers and my palm. "Certain wands, once bonded to their wizard, will not be pleased to be taken away from them as roughly as you took Mr. Malfoy's. Dragon Heartstring cores, for example, are quite the temperamental wands despite their fierce loyalty."

"Are you trying to bestow a lesson on me, Madam? If so, I'm afraid your advice will be voided for future accidents that will not be my fault." The Mediwitch grumbled under her breath, but didn't respond to my jab and wiped the residue paste away with a towel conjured from thin air.

"You are to keep this on for at least two days before you can wash it off," Madam instructed, capping the bottle shut. She gave me a scowl and a stern look. "Don't let me catch you washing that off early either, young lady. I have eyes and ears all around the castle despite my confinement to this Wing." She put the bottle down on a bedside table and began wrapping the gauze around my fingers individually.

"You're confined here?" I arched an eyebrow sarcastically. "I never would've known. I'd just assume you hated people since you're hardly seen anywhere else."

"Joke all you want, Ms. Walters," Madam Pomfrey said, snorting under her breath, "but if I truly hated people, I would've never applied for a job as a school nurse."

"So you do hate people."

"Only when it's nosy children like you, Ms. Walters."

I pressed my free hand against my chest, feigning hurt. "You wound me, Madam."

"You'll survive," She said sardonically, lips twitching. She taped the bandage securely and released my hand. "Move your hand around. _Gently,_ Ms. Walters, for Merlin's sakes. Is it secure enough for you to go about your day as you normally do?" I experimentally flexed my fingers and rolled my wrist. There was the slightest twinge of discomfort around my fingers, but I figured that was normal and was pleased that it would be easier to hold things now.

"Your work is as excellent as always, Madam," I praised, lowering my hand. "I hardly feel anything."

Madam Pomfrey nodded, pleased. "Good. Now, I think it's time for you to be off to your Common Room. It's getting late and classes start bright and early tomorrow morning."

"If I didn't know any better, Madam, I'd think you're trying to get rid of me too quickly. You're not gonna insist I spend the night in here? No parting words goodbye?"

Madam Pomfrey was unimpressed with my teasing, her lips pursing in annoyance, but her eyes were flashing with suppressed mirth. "If you need to stay overnight in the Hospital Wing because of a measly burn, you're more helpless than I thought you were, Ms. Walters. And as for your parting words, I expect I'll see you back in here over the next couple weeks, so there's no need for the heartfelt goodbye that you're looking for."

I let loose a small laugh, grinning at one of my favorite Professors. "It's good to be back, Madam. I've missed these talks with you."

Her eyes softened just the tiniest bit. "It's good to see you as well, Ms. Walters." Her eyes hardened before she shooed me towards the door. "Now off you go! Go to bed and get yourself some rest for tomorrow." She cut me off as I opened my mouth. "And no, I am not writing you a pass for you." She waved away my protests with a wrinkled hand. "If you run into Severus or any of the other teachers, I will vouch for you if you're threatened with detention. Now shoo!"

I laughingly waved her goodbye and hurried out of the Hospital Wing as the doors clicked shut behind me and the final light from inside was smothered. A resonating chime from the clock tower had me cursing under my breath. Curfew hit at nine and it was already almost ten o'clock now. Sneaking a peek around a corner and seeing no one in sight, I hurried up the first series of stairs that would lead me up to Gryffindor Tower. Four years of climbing seven flights of steps made it a quick trip up the staircases without thankfully running into any teachers or roaming prefects. Or Mrs. Norris.

 _This is the year I give that grouchy little shit a good kick. Without getting caught. Somehow. It'll happen, though._

The castle was completely silent with the occasional snore of a portrait making itself known and a slight chill wafting through the air that not even my uniform sleeves could ward off. Torches along the corridors were lit to provide some form of light, but seeing up the stairs proved a bit more challenging as said light could barely reach the steps. I hopped over the trick step that had caught me only once before and that was back when I was an inexperienced first year. My footsteps were soft, but they still echoed in my ears as I climbed.

Halfway up the fifth staircase, the jingling sound of a bell made me stop. I cocked my head at the sound and smiled. There was a pair of colorful water balloons hovering in mid-air in front of me, the water inside sloshing about as the balloons swayed from side to side. Someone failed to smother a cackle, though I had a feeling he wasn't really trying to hide his mirth from me.

"Hello, Peeves," I greeted amusedly. There was a sharp popping sound and a short, wicked looking ghost with glowing orange eyes appeared, a wide smirk spreading across his lips. The bell attached to his hat gave another merry jingle that contrasted with the ghost's mischievous expression.

"Out past curfew, you are, Haydie," He commented, tossing a water balloon in the air innocently before catching it. His smirk widened even more at the slight cringe I gave at his nickname for me. "Should warn a teacher, I should. Peevsie is a good ghost, after all."

I gave him a fake incredulous look. "After all these years of supplying you with flash bombs, you'd rat me out so quickly? That's low of you, Peeves."

Peeves gave a cackle and floated closer to my level, unblocking the way for me to continue going up. "Peevsie would never give a supplier out. She helps us create mischief, after all, and mischief makers stick together, we do."

I smiled. "That explains why you like the Twins so much." I pointed to the balloons still in his hand. "What are you going to be doing with those? Saving them to pelt at the poor first years tomorrow morning before breakfast? Or are you targeting a teacher this time? _Ohhh,_ if it's Snape, _please_ let me be there to watch."

His orange eyes gave a menacing flash. "These little things were actually for the annoying kitty cat that likes to follow Peevsie around the castle whenever its not trailing after icky little firsties." He cackled under his breath. "Peevsie has been waiting for this day and he will take great pleasure in drowning the little rat with water."

While the idea of Mrs. Norris being thrown in Peeves' line of fire was wonderful, a pink monstrosity of a woman flitted across my mind's eye and I barely suppressed the snicker that was threatening to make an appearance. Oh Merlin, it was too good to pass up. We were almost to the seventh floor, so I had to be quick before Peeves zoomed off to go cause havoc.

"Did you hear that we got a new teacher?" The Poltergeist perked up exponentially at that, looking very interested. "Yeah, she's our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor." I gave my companion a shifty look, as if I was about to bestow upon him my greatest secret. "It's been going around that she's a Ministry official, too, and that she works directly under the Minister himself."

Peeves hummed, blinking slowly as we came to a stop at the top of the seventh floor. He hovered at my face level, crossing his legs and rubbing under his chin. "New Professor, you say?"

It was a struggle not to nod enthusiastically at him. "Yep. She's a tiny thing, that woman. Brown hair and wears pink clothes." Peeves grimaced at the color. I mentally agreed with him on the woman's color choice, as well. "You can't miss her, even if her height is rather pathetic." I had no room to talk since I probably only had a couple inches on the woman. I gave Peeves the final nudge he needed. "Why don't you...get to know her, Peeves? Maybe introduce yourself to her first thing in the morning before breakfast? She is new, after all. I'm sure she would love to be greeted _the Peeves way._ "

Wide lips stretched even more to accommodate the shit eating grin on his face. I knew I had him then. "Is that so?" He purred, looking excited. "We wouldn't want to disappoint our new _Professor_ , wouldn't we, Haydie?"

I shook my head. "It would be a travesty." I wiggled my fingers at him in goodbye as the ghost zipped off in a hurry to no doubt prepare himself for the morning to come.

"You shouldn't encourage that thing, dear," A woman said in disapproval from behind me. "And do you have any idea what time it is? Curfew hit an hour ago!" I turned and gave the Fat Lady, Gryffindor Tower's entrance and protector, a winning smile.

"I wouldn't encourage anything nobody else wouldn't do," I appeased her. "And I was in the Hospital Wing visiting our resident Mediwitch. She promised to vouch for me this time, so I'm not getting into any trouble tonight." I held up my bandaged hand as proof for her to see. She held her frown, but rolled her eyes.

"What's the password, dear?"

" _Mimbulus Mimbletonia,_ " I said proudly, happy that I at least had gotten that out of Lee before banishing them earlier. She gave a short nod and swung inwards, allowing me to step through.

The common room was warm and inviting, an air of tranquility hovering around and exuding a feeling that could only be described as home. Red chairs were spread around the room, some occupied by night owls who were reading from their school books, and round tables being pushed closer to the wall to add a bit more privacy for the older students who would no doubt be making themselves at home at those tables once classes really got going. The heat of a fire was present against my skin, scaring off the goosebumps that had dotted my arms.

Glancing around, I was surprised to see that the Twins and Lee weren't huddled around the fire waiting to ambush me. Maybe they actually went to bed early tonight instead of staying up late playing Exploding Snaps and talking business.

 _But that just means I'll have to somehow dodge them at breakfast tomorrow._

Yeah, that was hilarious. I'd get an Outstanding in Transfiguration before I ever escaped the Twins' grasps.

I was almost to the winding staircase that would lead up to my dormitory when a sharp voice halted me. "Why are you only just now getting back?" I twisted to look over my shoulder, blinking. Hermione stood from her pushed back seat, looking thoroughly unamused and with her arms crossed. Harry and Ron were seated around the table that I had apparently missed in the corner of the room, green and blue eyes locked on us.

I frowned at Hermione. I liked the girl, but sometimes she pushed buttons that really shouldn't be pushed. "No offense, Hermione, but I don't need to report to you every time I do something. You're not my mother."

Brown eyes narrowed into slits and she puffed out her chest slightly. It was only then that I actually saw the Prefects badge that was pinned to her uniform. I arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. She made a frustrated noise.

"It's my job as a Prefect to up-hold the rules and you are breaking a rule by being out past curfew!" She said snippily. "I want a reasoning or I will dock points from you."

I laughed loudly at that. "I have nothing to lose from House points, Hermione," I informed, though not unkindly. "If anything, I couldn't give a rat's ass more about House points. The only thing I have to say about that is be prepared." She gave me a confused look.

"Prepared for what?"

I gave her a cheery grin. "Classes haven't even started yet and Gryffindor is already in last place because you docked points off me for being out late. Do you really think any Gryffindor will be pleased when they hear about that? You certainly won't be anyone's favorite Prefect then."

"This isn't about being a favorite, Walters!" Damn, she really wasn't letting this go. She was taking her duties a bit too seriously, in my opinion. Ron, whom I noticed also had a shiny Prefect badge resting on the table in front of him, piped up.

"Give her a break, Hermione," He said, standing up to stretch. "Let her off tonight and catch her some other time. Classes haven't even begun yet and you're already threatening House point deductions." Harry followed his example, rising to his feet. I noticed the dark circles under his eyes and wondered if he had been properly sleeping over the summer.

I doubted it. Especially since Cedric's death was still recent enough to cause some pain to certain students, him and Cho Chang specifically.

"Ron!" She rounded on him, eyes blazing. "If I let her off, it'll only encourage other students to follow her example! Next thing you know, every single Gryffindor will be out wandering the corridors and we'll lose more House points if they're caught by a Professor than by me! You need to be taking this more seriously."

Everything she had said seemed to go in one ear and out the other with the red head. He nodded absently at her words, infuriating the brown-haired girl before she huffed and stomped her way up the girls' staircase. Harry nudged him sharply in the ribs, green eyes exhausted but reprimanding.

"Don't brush her off so quickly like that, Ron," I scolded, my tone still light. He tilted his head in my direction, indicating he was semi-listening. "Hermione does have a point, but keep in mind the line between serious and carefree. It'd be embarrassing if that shiny badge was revoked because you were too lax." His ears burned red around the curling strands of his hair. Harry steered him up the boys' staircase quickly before he could open his mouth and retort back at me.

Climbing the stairs, I quietly pushed open the door to the dormitory I shared with the other fifth year girls. Hermione's curtains were drawn around her bed, but Lavender and Parvati were still awake, Lavender making herself comfortable on the Indian girl's bed as they chattered in low voices. Both girls looked up at my entrance and waved at me. I returned the gesture, opening my trunk and grabbing a pair of pajamas. I speedily changed clothes, throwing my dirty ones in a small hamper by my bedside table and climbing underneath the warm, red covers.

"Goodnight, Parvati, Lavender," I whispered, not wanting to disturb Hermione in case she was sleeping.

"Goodnight, Hayden!" Came the hushed replies back. Charming my curtains closed, I closed my eyes and within minutes, I was slipping into dreams filled with mist covering a frozen glassy lake.

* * *

A chirping noise shattered the slow dream that I was having, piercing my ears and forcing me back into the world of reality. The chirping continued, growing louder in frequency until my hand whipped out and slammed down onto the alarm on the bedside table. The chirping stopped and blissful silence greeted me once more. Someone giggled in the room, my eyes opening and being greeted with the redness of my pillow being stuffed over my face. I heaved a groan, shoving the pillow aside and sitting up.

Parvati and Hermione's beds were already neatly made and empty, while Lavender's was still a mess of sheets and blankets. Lavender herself was glancing at me from her mirror as she applied a shimmery type of lip gloss to her lips, smacking them several times as she tossed the gloss back onto her bed. She smiled at me through the mirror, patting down her uniform and smoothening out non-existent wrinkles. She looked as put-together as she always does.

"Good morning, Miss. Bedhead," She chirped, spinning on her heel towards her bed. A wave of her wand had her bed making itself as pristine as the other two girls'. "Breakfast has already started, so I'd hurry before it's all gone." She was gone after that parting statement, the door shutting softly behind her.

It took me all of ten minutes to get dressed and prepped for the day, my school bag filled with more blank notebooks than my actual school books. It's easier to gauge which classes will require our books after the first day, though my Potions book was mandatory since it was Snape's class. Running my fingers through my unruly hair, I gave up on taming it and just let it fall normally around my face. Mentally checking that I had everything, I nodded to myself and hurried out of the room to head to breakfast.

Risking a quick glance at the message board in the Common Room, I paused in my steps at seeing a new sign posted and stopped to read it.

 **Gallons of Galleons!**

 **Pocket money failing to keep pace with your outgoings?**

 **Like to carry a little extra gold?**

 **Contact Fred and George Weasley,**

 **Gryffindor Common Room,**

 **for simple, part-time, virtually painless jobs**

 **(WE REGRET THAT ALL WORK IS UNDERTAKEN AT APPLICANT'S OWN RISK)**

"Those two have lost their ever loving minds, I swear." I shook my head and pushed open the Fat Lady's portrait hole to leave the Tower. I could already see Hermione foaming out the mouth if she saw that already.

Just like last night, the smell of fresh food wafted out from the open doors to the Great Hall. This time, the smell of bread and muffins was the strongest thing that I could smell. Along with pumpkin juice, of course. Hermione and Ron were sitting next to each other, talking in low voices, but Harry was nowhere in sight, which I found odd. A quick glance at the staff table confirmed that Umbridge wasn't there yet.

 _I hope Peeves hasn't forgotten his plan._

I paused and shook my head. No way would that Poltergeist just forget the chance to torment a teacher so early in the morning.

"Well look who it is!" Two sets of arms wrapped through mine, gripping me in similar firm grips. I blinked in surprise up at the Twins, both of whom were grinning with straight teeth on perfect display. An awkward glance over my shoulder showed that Lee was right behind me, chuckling. Fred and George easily lifted me off the ground and waltzed over to their empty seats, my feet barely touching the floor and my shoulders hunched awkwardly. How they could carry me like this with my school bag as full as it is was beyond me.

"You're a sneaky blight, ya know that, Hayden?" George said, plopping me down gracelessly onto the bench. He slipped my bag off my shoulders and placed it underneath my seat, twirling his finger in the universal turn around motion. I rolled my eyes and did as he asked while they sat in their spots on either side of me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I wasn't sure if I should feel offended yet or not.

"It means, dear Hayden, that you are sneaky," Fred supplied helpfully. I glared at him, snatching a blueberry muffin that he was reaching for and taking a bite out of it, silently daring him to fight me for it. It was a petty way of spiting him. He gave a devilish smirk, but didn't reach for it and instead grabbed a bit of sausage and pancakes to put on his plate.

"I got that part, Fred," I said sarcastically after swallowing. "I want to know what you're talking about before I ready myself to slap you both if what you're insinuating is less than desirable."

"We never saw you come back up to the Tower last night," Lee said. He was stirring circles in his bowl of cereal methodically. He pointed to the two redheads. "They didn't even see you walk in at all until they heard Ron grumbling about Hermione threatening to dock points from you."

Fred and George made tsking noises, waggling their fingers at me. "Already losing points from our House, are you, Hayden? That's not very Gryffindor of you!" I swatted their hands out of my face.

"I'm probably the least Gryffindor out of all of us here," I said, finishing off my muffin. "How in Merlin's great name did you not see me? I walked right through the portrait like any normal person would." I pulled a bowl filled with chopped fruit towards me, glowering at the tan hand that was reaching for an apple slice. The offending hand wisely retreated, its owner grumbling under his breath.

Lee shrugged. "There was a point we went back up to our room to grab blankets before coming back down. You must've slipped in then."

"It's just as my handsome Twin said," Fred said, eyes twinkling.

"You're a sneaky blight," George repeated, eyes shining just as brightly as Fred's.

 _I've never noticed it before...but their eyes are so beautiful..._

I froze in my seat, a piece of a half chewed green apple still in my mouth, which was thankfully closed and not wide open like it wanted to be. My heart did a weird stutter in my chest before resuming a normal beat, albeit it was a bit faster than normal. I barely restrained the blush from reaching my cheeks, though my ears felt very hot. Where in the ever loving glory of Merlin were these thoughts coming from?

Something was very wrong here.

"I'm hardly sneaky," I said neutrally, my tone even. I high-fived myself when I couldn't hear a trace of nerves in my voice. "I'm the loudest person in the whole House. You can't miss me."

"I think Harry's got you beat this time, then," Lee remarked, pointing. Harry was, indeed, making his presence known with a thunderous scowl on his face and footsteps loud as he dropped himself beside his two best friends, lips moving in an angry whisper. I noticed students from other Houses giving him disdainful looks, lips curled and eyes burning. Slytherin students, I noticed, were red-faced from holding in their laughter as Malfoy said something to them, no doubt that something being a nasty comment about Harry.

"What's gotten into everyone?" I mumbled mostly to myself. "I've never seen this much drama since our second year when Harry was accused of petrifying some students and being the Heir of Slytherin." All three boys looked incredulously at me.

"You haven't heard?" Lee questioned.

"How do you not know—"

"—about the latest hit with Harry?"

"I live with Muggles, you guys," I deadpanned, frowning. "I don't really get a _Daily Prophet_ every week like everyone else. I cancelled my subscriptions at the end of fourth year after all that rubbish Fudge and the Ministry is forcing down everyone's throats." Much to my Mom's relief. She was getting tired of all the feathers being left behind.

"Over the summer, our buddy, Harry, got into some serious trouble with the Ministry," Fred began, but I interrupted him.

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" He flicked my nose sharply and I recoiled away from him, leaning more against George to rub the sting away. His hand rubbed circles on my back soothingly. I refused to think too deeply as to why he was doing it.

"Let me finish," He mock demanded before clearing his throat. "Anyway, Dad says that Harry had used magic with a Muggle right beside him—"

"—and adding on that Harry is only fifteen, he got into trouble with the Statute of Secrecy and the Underage Wizarding laws and was expelled from school," George finished, dropping his hand. I gaped at both of them before looking around Fred to see that yes, Harry was still sitting there scowling up a storm and that no, it wasn't my imagination.

"He used _magic_ in front of a Muggle? But why? If he was expelled, how on Earth is he even here right now?"

Lee leaned closer, beckoning me forward. I obliged his demand, tilting my head so he could whisper in my ear. "Apparently there were Dementors lurking around Little Whinging and went after Harry and the Muggle that was with him," Lee whispered.

I pulled back sharply, mind whirling. Dementors? In the Muggle world? That couldn't be right. The Dementors were supposed to be out in the middle of the sea guarding Azkaban, not terrorizing people who couldn't see them. What motive could they possibly have for even being so far out from Azkaban?

A hand curled around to the other side of my head, pulling me to the side. Shivers raced up my spine when George's ears just slightly grazed the skin of my ear. "Dad thinks the Ministry sent them after Harry that night." It was a sound possibility, considering the Dementors were under Ministry control. "But he says that a lot of the Wizengamot were shocked about the news. He says a good lot of them were concerned and it was those ones who convinced Fudge to clear Harry's charges completely."

"That doesn't sound fishy at all," I grumbled, freeing myself from George's grasp. "Why is it really hard to just accept He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is really back? A then fourteen-year-old boy can't bullshit something that serious to a whole group of students, teachers, and Ministry officials. Besides, Harry is an awful liar. Can't lie to save his damn life, that boy." Said boy was currently being accosted by Angelina Johnson, a beautiful dark-skinned girl who I heard had been made Quidditch Captain this year. She looked like she had swallowed something rather unpleasant as she spoke to Harry.

"The Ministry is corrupt," Lee said bluntly, pushing his mushy cereal away. "Fudge is too popular to be just simply opposed. Support from the majority of the population out rules those who are against it."

A fluttering of wings interrupted me as I opened my mouth to retort, causing all of us to look up. Hundreds of owls, all different sizes and colors, were gliding around looking for their students, dropping morning packages into waiting hands and flying out the open windows once their job was completed. I spotted Finny hovering near the ceiling and gave a short whistle, catching his attention immediately. I held an arm out for him to land on, no longer cringing when his talons dug a little too deeply to stick his landing. His grip loosened instantly once he was stable. He hooted in greeting, flapping his wings.

"Hello, sweet one," I cooed, rubbing his head of stuck up feathers. I offered him a piece of spare bacon from a nearby plate, which he took gratefully and clicked his beak in approval.

"You really love that owl," Fred said almost softly, eyes gleaming strangely. I ignored the emotion in his eyes, instead focusing on my lovely companion.

"Of course I do," I confirmed with mock indignation. "Finny's been my owl since first year. He's done a wonderful job for me, too, so of course I'm gonna love and spoil him rotten." Finny gave an almost primly hoot, chest puffing out proudly. I giggled at his reaction to my praise, scratching his yellow beak gently with a filed nail. He nipped my finger affectionately before I offered him a piece of sausage.

"Oh, there's McGonagall." Our Head of House was marching down the line of the table, handing out schedules with a stern look on her face. "She certainly looks pleasant this morning."

"Be nice, Jordan," I reprimanded. "I'd look like that, too, if I had to teach a bunch of snot-nosed children how to turn a tea cozy into a rat."

"So you're calling yourself a snot-nosed brat?"

"Shut up, Jordan."

"Ms. Walters." Professor McGonagall stopped beside me, handing over a piece of paper, which I took eagerly with my free hand. She gave Finny a calculating look before handing the Twins and Lee their schedules, wandering off to continue handing out the schedules. My eyes skimmed my classes and I almost groaned.

"Double Potions on the first day? And right in the morning, too? That's just asking for death to happen to someone." The three boys winced in sympathy, knowing how pleasant of a man Professor Snape was first thing in the morning. "Ugh, and a double period with Umbridge at the end of the day, too? I'm going to hate Mondays even more than I already do."

The Twins leaned over my shoulders to look at my schedule. "That's gonna suck for you," They chorused before they both pointed to my Tuesday classes. "It looks like we have Arithmancy on Tuesday afternoons before lunch, though!"

"I'll just be one step closer to losing my sanity having you two in a formula-based class," I muttered sarcastically. I folded the paper and shoved it in my pocket, climbing to my feet as gracefully as I could with an owl perched on my arm. I gave him one last nuzzle before sending him back off to the Owlery with a promise to give him a job soon.

"Oh, before I forget," The Twins cocked their heads at my tone. "You two should be more careful about what you post on the board in the Tower. I can almost guarantee that Hermione won't be pleased and that she'll be on the hunt." Both boys waved off my words, looking unconcerned.

"She'll be singing a different tune soon enough," Fred said confidently. "You're all starting your fifth year. You'll be _begging_ us for a Skiving Snackbox real quick."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"It's your O.W.L year," George said simply. I arched an eyebrow, not understanding.

"You've got your first big set of important exams coming up, right? They'll be keeping your noses so hard to that grindstone that they'll be rubbed raw," Fred said with heavy satisfaction.

"Half our year had minor breakdowns when our exams finally came around," George said almost happily. I secretly wondered if he was a Sadist. He certainly seemed to be too happy about someone else's pain. "There were many tears and many tantrums. Madam Pomfrey had her hands full with all the students coming in and begging her for a Relaxing Draught of some sort before going to an exam."

"It's a nightmare of a year, the fifth," Lee agreed. "You'll discover a whole new world of breaking points that you never thought you'd had before."

Well that was certainly _kind_ of them to inform me of what the whole year is basically going to look like. Hermione could turn beet red all she wants, but the Twins chose a good year to start actually selling their products. My year would do almost anything to get out of a stressful class, even resorting to faking a bloody nose just to get a moment away. Hell, I might even indulge in one of the Snackboxes at least once this year.

"This talk has been positively wonderful, boys, but I'm going to go suffer in History of Magic now," I announced, throwing my bag over my shoulders.

Fred and George glanced at each other. "Maybe if we get to Herbology early enough, we might be able to sell a few Extendable Ears." They both grinned and I found that I didn't like the evilness that was present in the expression. Surprising me with their next move, both boys latched onto my waist in a sudden side hug, squeezing the breath right out of me. Blood rushed to my face without my permission and Lee laughed at my expression. I glowered at him and awkwardly threw a muffin at him. Once I was released, I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"Now that the dramatics are over, I'll see you guys whenever."

"We'll see you at lunch," The Twins said confidently. I narrowed my eyes at them.

"Maybe," I stressed. There were some things that I needed to get from the library, so more than likely, I was going to spend my time holed up in there for most of lunch. Not that I was gonna tell them that, of course. Matching blue eyes flashed wickedly at me at the same time as smirks crossed their lips.

"We'll see." Heat raced through my body at the deeper tone they both used, but I studiously ignored the feeling, about to wave goodbye when a piercing screech of anger disrupted the Hall. Conversation froze instantly and everyone looked over each other towards the Great Hall doors. Professor Umbridge stood in the middle of the entryway, _soaked_ from head to toe in what was no doubt cold water and looking none too pleased. Floating above her and looking like he was immensely enjoying himself, Peeves lobbed another water balloon at her, flattening her mousy hair to her forehead and ruining the hideous pink cardigan she was wearing.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Professor Umbridge screeched, flailing in place on the wet floor before steadying herself and glaring daggers at Peeves. "How dare you! I'll have you removed for attacking a Hogwarts Professor and Ministry official!"

Peeves cackled loudly, throwing his last water balloon at Umbridge. It exploded right before it hit her face, water splashing all down her front and leaving a trail of pink blush to fall down her cheeks. "Peevsie was just welcoming our new teacher person," He purred, baring his teeth in a grin as Professor Umbridge sputtered and frantically wiped the water and blush off her face. "Do you not like Peevsie's welcoming surprise?" He sounded like he couldn't care less if she liked it or not.

"I most certainly do not!" She exclaimed, face turning red from anger. "I will have you reported for this, I'll have you know!"

Peeves laughed, blew her a wild raspberry, and with a high-pitched popping noise, he was gone.

I was beside myself with laughter, unable to contain it as Umbridge's mouth fell open. Other students quickly joined me, no longer able to smother their laughter at the woman's misfortune of being a victim of Peeves. Even some of the teachers at the Head Table were hiding smiles behind their sleeves, pretending to cough into it to not give us students the impression that they found the situation just as funny. The Twins and Lee were some of the loudest ones, hooting and making a whole bunch of noise in general.

"Did you plan that?!" Lee choked out between laughs. The Twins were wheezing at this point, hands covering their mouths and tears gathering in the corners of their eyes.

I smirked, wiping away my own tears. "I would never plan something as _obvious_ as that, Lee. I just gave Peeves a little nudge, is all." Professor Umbridge chose that moment to make a noise of fury before stomping away to no doubt dry herself off. Pleased with how today was already going, I waved goodbye once more before hurrying off to the third floor for my first class.

* * *

History of Magic was, by common consent, the most boring subject ever devised by wizards. Professor Binns, our ghost teacher, had a wheezy, droning voice that was almost guaranteed to cause severe drowsiness within ten minutes, five in warm weather. He never varied the form of our lessons, but lectured us without pausing while we took notes. Many, though, like me, gazed tiredly into space, day dreaming to hopefully pass the time quicker. The class wasn't hard to pass. Everything was found in that year's required book and a quick read of it was all I had ever needed to at least get an Exceeds Expectations in the class for the past four years.

What made this year the most boring by far was the fact that we would be sticking on one subject and one subject only for the _whole year._ That subject just so happened to be the Giant Wars, which was a topic I had never completely gotten into, so I was slightly interested in it. However, as stated about Binns' voice, ten minutes in had me dozing off at my desk along with half the class. Hermione was the only one taking diligent notes and shooting filthy looks at Harry and Ron, whom I could see were both playing hangman on a blank piece of paper.

An hour and a half later had us all escaping the classroom after we were dismissed and Binns disappeared through his blackboard. Not wanting to be lectured by Hermione, I quickly blended into the crowd of students and escaped down to the first floor to get down to the dungeons. Our first break was never very long, so I didn't waste time dawdling and face Snape's wrath for being late on the first day. Ten minutes later had us all sitting at our tables and Snape glaring us all into silence.

"Before we begin today's lesson," He said, sweeping over to his desk and staring us all down, "I think it appropriate to remind you that next June, you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an Acceptable in you O.W.L. or suffer my...displeasure."

His gaze lingered the longest on Neville, who paled and gulped audibly. The Slytherins snickered loudly.

"After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me," Snape went on. "I take only the very best into my N.E.W.T. Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying goodbye." His dark eyes rested on Harry's table and his lip visibly curled. Harry glared back at Potions Master, fists clenched under the table.

"But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell," He informed softly, "so whether you are intending to attempt N.E.W.T. or not, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high-pass level I have come to expect from my O.W.L. students." His speech done, he began listing off today's lesson: brewing a cauldron of the Draught of Peace. Instructions appeared on the chalkboard with a flick of a wand, cabinets filled with ingredients were opened, and at his command, we all hurried to get started.

Now, let it be known that Snape was not a very kind man and took great pleasure in tormenting any Gryffindor unfortunate enough to capture his attention. His favorite by far was Harry for rather obvious reasons. I remembered a point in my first and second years where it used to be me in Harry's position, but I had never struggled in Snape's class as much as Harry did. Potions was just like cooking. Just a bit more specific. I liked to think that Snape secretly liked me and was testing me all the time. His class wasn't difficult, but Harry made it seem like a foreign science that was beyond any form of grasping a shred of common sense.

Harry's first grade in Potions was already going to be a Troll because he had no potion to turn in for grading after Snape charmed it away because Harry forgot the fourth line of instructions and therefore had his potion turn a dark, smoky grey instead of silver. His mutinous expression showed just how happy he was with the black-haired Head of Slytherin House.

"Cheer up, Harry," I said as we left the dungeons in a group. "It's only the first day. There's plenty of time to make up for one Potion grade."

"I hate that man," Harry growled. "I can't wait to drop his class at the end of the year once exams are done."

I winced. "He's really not that bad," I said, though my voice was weak. It was hard defending Professor Snape when he made it very obvious how much he liked Harry, which was to say he didn't like him at all. The man was very unpleasant and he made no effort to change it for the students. "He's just...he has high expectations for us."

"That's a poor excuse if I've ever heard one," Ron snorted. Hermione nudged him sharply in the ribs, narrowing her eyes at him. I glowered at the red hair and rushed ahead of them in a huff, slightly irritated that he so callously rebuffed my attempts of cheering his best friend up. Git. We'll see if I try again next time.

I wasn't feeling particularly up to being hunted down by the Twins and Lee, so I made my way back to the Great Hall, where I was flagged down by the three and saved my normal spot in between Fred and George. The whole time was spent talking about classes so far and me sharing how Potions and History of Magic had went as the boys chowed down on everything in sight and I ate all the fruit and bread around. The Twins and Lee didn't look too surprised by Snape's harshness.

"The man is unpleasant," Fred had said.

"We think he was just born like that," George hinted lowly. "You can't help how you were born, after all." I had laughed at that and we had delved into different topics. By the end of lunch, the Twins had smuggled my first Skiving Snackbox into my bag and shooed me along before I was caught, identical smug grins on their faces.

I was dreading going to Divination. I loathed the class and the teacher, Professor Trelawney, was a complete nutter who had no idea what the meaning of true Sight really was. Care of Magical Creatures had been my first choice back in second year when I was looking at electives, but I was not prepared at the time to be faced with the magical creatures that no doubt lurked around the forest and chickened out. Professor McGonagall had not looked thrilled when I told her I was picking Divination and Arithmancy as my electives.

I easily ignored the misty voice of our Professor, instead half-focusing on the reading that she had already assigned us. The text was rather dismal and horrendously boring, but I made an attempt to read and retain what the book was saying about dreams and prophecies. I was dismayed when she told us that we were immediately starting a dream diary that would last at least a month before we were dismissed.

 _I don't even remember what I did yesterday. How in Merlin's name does she expect me to remember a dream that fades away right when I wake up?_

I was slightly annoyed with the amount of homework we already had. Binns had given us a foot-and-a-half-long essay on the giant wars, Snape was expecting a foot on the use of moonstones at the beginning of our next class, and now this damn dream journal.

The Twins had jinxed us. That's got to be the reason as to why we were already up to our chests in work. I could already hear them laughing somewhere in the castle.

The classroom for Defense was already almost full with students. I chose an empty seat in the middle area beside a girl with beautiful blond hair and brown eyes. She took no notice that I had sat beside her other than to politely move her bag from the seat I now occupied. In front of us, Padma and Parvati were directing a paper bird through the air with their wands, giggling and smiling at their creation. It gave a beautiful twirl through the air, paper wings crinkling. Seamus swiped at it and missed, but when it flew over Goyle's head, he sling-shotted a rubber band at it, grazing it only narrowly. There was a hum of magic and the paper bird burst into flames, falling weakly in front of the Patil twins as it burned.

"Good morning, children," Professor Umbridge called from the back of the room. My stomach gave a flip at the too sweet voice she was using and I felt only slightly nauseous.

 _This class is going to be longer than Potions will ever be._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

First of all, I struggled with ending this chapter. I was going to add in more scenes with other characters and introducing someone who is _detrimental_ to a certain point in the plot later on, but obviously that didn't happen as this chapter is already almost 9,000 words. Yeah, we're gonna wait till next chapter to explore the horror that is Umbitch's classroom.

But that concludes the second chapter! Gosh, it was SO fun to write this. I LOVE writing the Twins and Hayden together.

Feelings are being seen over the _horizoonnnnnnnnnnn._ How exciting. x3

Lots of hearts and appreciation to: 

**just know i dream of Draco and ElementalGirl1**

You both made my heart soar for showing approval for the first chapter. *Hearts* A huge gigantic amount of love and thanks to the six favorites and eleven alerts that I got as well! You all are the MVP's for life!

 _Responses:_

 **just know i dream of Draco:** Boiiiiii, I do, toooooo. I only recently found my appreciation for the Twins and let me tell you, I've found two stories that just make my heart soar ever time I read them. I'm just lowkey hurting that they haven't been updated in a while. I hope they are continued. *Prays for patience*

 **ElementalGirl1:** AWWWWW. YOU'RE SO DAMN SWEET.

I'm so very thrilled that you're liking it so far! I'm doing my hardest to plan out everything for this story after reading _To Be A Slytherin_ by **Morgana Deryn**. HO DAMN. THAT STORY HAS ME ON THE EDGE OF MY DAMN SEAT EVERY WEDNESDAY IT IS UPDATED. No but really. That story gives me SO much inspiration. I have no hope of ever living up to the legend of that story, but God I hope I can at least make a decent attempt.

Girl, I'm gonna enjoy making that woman SUFFER in this story, but obviously not over-doing it. That'd be lame and very typical. Umbitch will be in for a very nasty surprise once Peeves gets going with his pranks supplied by yours truly (Hayden). xD

 _End of Responses!_

 **Last chapter's answer:** I will never like that woman. Never ever ever ever. Not even when I'm dead will that woman have a place in my favorites or even my neutral characters.

Question for this chapter: **Who is your favorite Hogwarts Professor, and why?**

See you all in the next chapter! Thank you for reading!

~OQ


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Harry Potter series whatsoever. The exception is Hayden, as always.

 **Author's Note:**

Helloooooo, everyone!

I am SO SORRY for how long it took for me to get this chapter out. I recently got a new apartment and the moving everything in part took me a very long, very unnecessary amount of time. My other excuse is that my laptop doesn't work without Wi-Fi, which is shit in my opinion, but that's my excuse. Please forgive meeeeee.

You guys. One of my babies - she's a younger student friend from school; I am FAR too young for children being only 19 - started college. I might cry. She's grown so much. Even though she's a little shithead half the time.

The positive feedback that I've been getting for this story lately really humbles me, you guys. You're all literally so kind to me. I am unworthy of your kindness. It is so very much appreciated. *Happy tears*

On a side note, I went to my first concert! It was an Ed Sheeran concert down in Indianapolis at the beginning of September and I must say, I was very impressed. I originally bought the tickets for one of my best girl friends for her 18th birthday cause she is a die hard fan of his, so it came as a surprise to me when she begged ME to go with her instead of any of her other best friends (I secretly think she feels bad that I spent $400 on her for these tickets). And even though I wasn't a favorite of his, I said yes to her. We went and we had a BALL. It was FANTASTIC. Traffic was a BITCH, though. I've never hated Indianapolis more than I did that night.

Anyway! Off topic! Enjoy this new chapter everyone~!

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter T.H.R.E.E_

_"Restricted"_

 _"I'm someone who thinks that where there's a void, I need to fill it, but I'm trying to have patience and a little bit of discipline."_ -Ryan Seacrest

* * *

 _I wonder if it's too late to drop this class already..._

God I wished that thought was true and possible. This class would've been off my schedule in a breath if it hadn't been a core class that was mandatory up until the end of fifth year. It would've been off faster than a heartbeat since our teacher was a Ministry lunatic who smiled a bit too sweetly at us for it to be completely genuine.

"Good morning, children," She chirped sweetly, slowly making her way down an aisle with audible heel clicks. It felt like she was stalking through us, like some sort of predator. Her sharp gaze was stabbing as she made eye contact with me. The blond beside me must have felt the same intensity behind that gaze because she was squirming in her seat and looking anywhere but at Professor Umbridge.

"Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations," Professor Umbridge recited punctually with short, precise flicks of her wand. She stopped at the front of the classroom and turned to smile brightly at all of us. "O.W.L.'s. More commonly known as OWL's. Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so and the consequences may be..." She paused for effect before accenting her next word, " _severe_." Another flick of her wand had the stack of books that rested on the desk behind her rise and move to each desk containing a student. The bland yellow book plopped in front of me with a slam. I arched an eyebrow, completely unimpressed with the cover title.

 _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard

Lord please no. I was absolute shit about any form of theory. I could barely tolerate listening to it in Transfiguration. I wouldn't survive reading it.

"What the Hell?" Mumbled the girl next to me. She had already opened the book to the first chapter and was roving over the first couple paragraphs with disbelieving eyes.

"Wands away and quills out, please," Said Professor Umbridge to the extreme displeasure of the students. I was rather disappointed we wouldn't be using magic today, but obligingly put my wand in my pocket and pulled out all of my writing supplies.

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" Professor Umbridge asked rhetorically, the pout on her face so fake I was surprised she could even make such an expression at all. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do no seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L year.

"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."

I could barely focus on the blackboard flipping itself at the tap of her wand and words being scribbled down. Had I really been the only one to latch onto her second to last sentence? My neighbor and Hermione, who sat in front of me and was looking quite tense, had confused expressions on their faces. They had been the only ones to catch it.

"Theory-centered?" I found myself questioning in disbelief. Professor Umbridge's eyes latched onto mine and I pinched myself to hold back a shiver. "What about practicals and—" Professor Umbridge was quick to interrupt me and my temper began to burn as I held back a heavy scowl. If there was one thing I absolutely hated, it was someone interrupting me.

"Students will raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Miss.—?"

"Walters, ma'am." My temper burned worse when she gave me a smile and looked away from my now raised hand. I had to fight to keep a nasty curse from flying out. Mom always said being polite would go miles, but I feel like any ass kissing with this woman wouldn't even make me go an inch.

"We haven't even gotten through a whole period with her and I'm already dreading future classes," Snarled the blond girl. I couldn't help but agree with her there. Defense was normally one of my favorite subjects to learn, but if this was how the class was going to be taught, I'd rather sit through two extra periods with Snape. And that man was a complete nightmare to be with for just one period, let alone two more.

"Has everybody got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class.

"I think we'll try that again," Professor Umbridge simpered in a disappointed tone. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply 'Yes, Professor Umbridge,' or 'No, Professor Umbridge.' Now, has everyone got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge," rang throughout the room.

"Good," She said, pleased. "I should like you to turn to page five and read chapter one, Basics for Beginners. There will be no need to talk."

Discreetly rolling my eyes, I opened the hideous murky yellow book to the first chapter. I immediately saw what had caused the girl beside me to curse like she had when she had opened the book.

"What is this shit?" I whispered incredulously, flipping to the next page. "Wand placement? Spell definitions and pronunciations? Roots? What are we, first years? This isn't something we should even be reading right now."

What was in front of me right now was something I had barely learned my first year when Quirrel had been around, considering the man and his stuttering made it difficult to understand him ninety-five percent of the time, but it had still been taught and I had passed that exam with pretty good marks that spring. All of us should have passed this at one point. Why make us read all of it again?

"She must think we're stupid or something," the blond muttered to me. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. She was eyeballing the mousy Professor with a look of contempt on her face. "This isn't what fifth years should be going over right now if we want to pass our O.W.L.'s this year."

 _Maybe that's what she wants..._

Looking forward, Hermione seemed to be on the same mindset as us. She hadn't even opened her book yet. She was staring fixedly at our Professor with her hand high in the air. I couldn't remember a time where Hermione had ever neglected to read a book when instructed to, but it was hard to fault her. The book was a joke to those of us who had been playing with Dark Magic since first year. I cradled my cheek in my palm and waited.

After several minutes, more than half the class was more interested in watching Hermione rather than reading their books. Professor Umbridge seemed to decide that she could ignore the situation no longer.

"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" She asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her.

"Not about the chapter, no," Hermione said.

"Well, we're reading just now," said Professor Umbridge, showing her small, pointed teeth. It was a scary smile. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."

"I've got a query about your course aims," Hermione pressed, nodding at the blackboard. I dully realized that I hadn't copied them down and found that I didn't really care if I did or not at the moment.

Professor Umbridge's eyebrows rose. "And your name is?"

"Hermione Granger."

"Well, Miss. Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," Professor Umbridge said with determined sweetness. Ouch. That was a blow towards Hermione's intelligence if I've ever heard one before. Said girl gave a barely there bristle at the jab.

"Well, I don't," She said bluntly, brown eyes blazing. "There's nothing written up there or in this book about _using_ defensive spells."

Many of the students actually looked back to the board and frowned when they realized how right Hermione was. I rolled my eyes. Idiots, the whole lot.

" _Using_ spells?" Professor Umbridge gave a short, girlish laugh. "Well, I can't imagine why you would need to use defensive spells in my classroom."

There was a deafening silence as we all registered her words. I almost fell out of my hand in surprise, blinking rapidly. Did I zone out and imagine her saying that? She couldn't be serious.

"We're not going to use magic in here?" Exclaimed the girl beside me, eyes wide in disbelief as if she had misheard her.

"Hand, Miss.—?"

"Terra Blanc." Professor Umbridge smiled and turned away from her. Terra's lips curled into a silent snarl and she gave a huff, slouching back into her chair with crossed arms and glaring eyes. Professor Umbridge addressed Hermione, ignoring Harry's raised hand.

"Yes, Miss. Granger? You wanted to ask something else?"

"Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"

The smile she was given was frosty. "Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss. Granger?"

Hermione looked abashed, but ploughed forward. "Well, no, but—"

"Then I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is." Hermione flinched back a bit at the reprimand. "Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way—"

"What use is that?" Harry interrupted loudly. "If we're gonna be attacked, it won't be _risk-free._ "

"Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class," Professor Umbridge said rather sharply, turning to face away from Harry. Ron gave Harry a surprised look, one that the black-haired boy was quick to reciprocate.

"And your name is?" Professor Umbridge asked Dean, who had his hand up.

"Dean Thomas. It's like Harry said, isn't it?" He asked. "If we're going to be attacked, then it won't—"

"I repeat," said Professor Umbridge, smiling in a very irritating fashion, "do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"

"No, but—"

She was quick to talk over him. "I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school," She said with an unconvincing smile. I snorted, not believing her at all, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed— not to mention," here she gave a nasty laugh, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."

My hands were slammed down onto my desk faster than I could stop them as I surged to my feet angrily and snarled, "You are going way too far if you can just insult Professor Lupin for something that he can't—"

" _Hand,_ Miss. Walters! And sit down." I furiously threw myself back into my seat, no longer hiding my glare from this particular woman. She had no right _whatsoever_ to insult Professor Lupin like she was. He had been one of the greatest teachers we had ever had in this room and I'd be damned before I let her continue to sully his name because she was racist against his kind. "As I was saying, you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate for your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day—"

"We have not!" Hermione disagreed with barely concealed vehemence. "We just—"

"Your hand is not up, Miss. Granger!" Professor Umbridge ignored her now raised hand and barely spared her another glance. "It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them _on_ you—"

"And look what happened to him then?" I said shortly. "He turned out to be an escaped convict and maniac, but we still learned a lot more from him than—"

"Your hand is not up, Miss. Walters!" I could barely contain my scream of frustration. Terra placed a soothing hand on my shoulder, rubbing circles into the tensed area. "Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?" She smiled at Parvati, who's hand had shot up.

"Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.? Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the countercurses and things?" Well that was put ever so eloquently.

"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," Professor Umbridge reassured rather dismissively.

"She's setting us up for failure," I seethed. Terra nodded in agreement.

"Without ever practicing them before?" Parvati said incredulously. "Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during our exam?"

"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough—"

"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" Harry demanded, his fisted hand still high in the air.

"This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world," She said coldly.

Harry continued to argue, determined. "So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting out there?"

"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter," Professor Umbridge said with a hint of exasperated impatience in her voice. "Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?"

Harry's reply was rhetorical and completely sarcastic. "Hmm, I don't know. Let me think. Maybe Lord Voldemort?"

Ron gasped. Lavender Brown uttered a little scream. Neville slid sideways off his stool. Terra flinched and shrunk in on herself, looking very small all of a sudden. I rubbed a hand down her arm soothingly. Professor Umbridge, however, did not flinch or scream or even make any sort of noise. She was staring at Harry with a grimly satisfied expression on her face.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."

The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Harry or Umbridge. Across from me, I could see Seamus shaking his head with the same exasperation Umbridge had a minute ago.

"Now, let me make this quite plain." The smile she gave us was wary and forced, like she was talking to a bunch of wild, angry animals. She began taking measured steps towards us, making her way past Hermione and towards Harry's desk. "You have been told that a certain Dark Wizard is at large once again." Her next words were focused solely at Harry. " _This is a lie._ "

Harry was almost beside himself with anger, fumbling with his words and struggling to explain accurately. "It is NOT a lie!" He said furiously. "I saw him, I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" said Professor Umbridge triumphantly, turning and marching back towards the front of the room. "Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock. My office. I repeat, _this is a lie._ The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark Wizard. If you are still worried, by all means and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn Dark Wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend." I highly doubted she would ever be my friend at this school. "And now, you will kindly continue your reading. Page five, _Basics for Beginners._ "

Professor Umbridge sat down behind her desk again. Harry, however, stood up. Everyone was staring at him; Seamus looked a cross between half-scared, half-fascinated.

"Harry, no!" Hermione whispered in a warning voice, tugging on his sleeve, but he jerked his arm out of her reach.

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his accord, did he?" He asked, voice shaking with rage.

There was a collective intake of breath from the class, for none of them, apart from Ron and Hermione, had ever heard Harry talk about what happened on the night Cedric had died. They stared avidly from Harry to Professor Umbridge, who had raised her eyes and was staring at him without a trace of a fake smile on her face.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," She said coldly.

"It was murder!" Harry exclaimed, still shaking. "Voldemort killed him, and you know it!"

I heard Terra's breath hitch beside me and before I knew it, she, too, was on her feet and slamming her hands down on her desk louder than I had done. Her face was blazing with fury and her lips were pulled into a frightening snarl as she gained the whole classroom's attention.

Do _not_ use Cedric's name just to prove a point, Potter," She said dangerously, voice seeming to echo in the small classroom. "He is not some martyr for you to use whenever you need an excuse and he certainly would not have wanted to be used that way were he alive!" She snatched her bag from the floor and stormed out of the room in a flurry of straw hair and black robes.

"Hey, Terra, wait!" She was already gone before my call could even be finished.

At the front of the room, Professor Umbridge's face was quite blank as she stared at Harry. She looked as if she hadn't even registered one of her students had just left the classroom. For a moment, we all thought she was going to drop her composure and scream at him. Then she said, in her softest, most sweetly girlish voice, "Come here, Mr. Potter, dear."

Harry kicked his chair aside, strode around Ron and Hermione, and up to the teacher's desk. She pulled a small roll of pink parchment out of her handbag, stretched it out on the desk, dipped her quill into a bottle of ink, and started scribbling. After a minute or so, she rolled up the parchment and tapped it with her wand. It sealed itself seamlessly so that he could not open it.

"Take this to Professor McGonagall, dear," said Professor Umbridge, holding out the note to him. He took it from her without saying a word, turned on his heel, and left the room, not even looking back at Ron and Hermione, and slamming the classroom door shut behind him.

"Ms. Walters." I jumped when my name was called. "Should you see Ms. Blanc before I do, please be sure to tell her that she also has detention with me tomorrow night at six."

I guess she did notice Terra leaving.

I mumbled a low "Yes, ma'am" and let out a quiet breath when we were asked, for the third time, to read the first chapter of our book. Defense this year was definitely not going to be fun if all we were going to be doing was reading from a hideous yellow book.

 _Better start bracing myself._

Terra's angry brown eyes flashed in my mind and as I glanced at the door, I resolved myself to corner Harry later as well. He owed someone an apology, I believe.

The bell rang for class to end an hour later, I was one of the first people out of the room and into the hallway, merging in with the other small crowd of people who had escaped their classrooms first. Behind me, I could hear the whispers of my classmates who had witnessed Harry's shouting match with Umbridge echo in my ears. I knew that rumor would be spread like wildfire throughout the school by the time dinner started.

I was looking desperately around for the straw blond that had been my seatmate, but I knew I wouldn't find her out here. She had been out for too long and was long into hiding by this point. I contemplated asking around to see if anyone had seen her, but I paused. Despite my inability to interact well with others, I knew or had heard of every single Gryffindor in our House, minus the first years, who I had yet to interact with. Whether it be by name or by face didn't matter to me. I still knew them somehow. Terra, however, was different. Today had been my first time ever meeting her.

Terra wasn't a Gryffindor. Of that I was sure.

 _So then what House is she?_

Catching sight of twin heads of red amongst the sea of brown and blond, I quickened my footsteps, calling," Fred! George!"

If anyone could help me, it would definitely be the Twins.

Both simultaneously turned and grinned widely at me. "Hayden!" They called, waving over the heads of the other students. I almost laughed when they almost hit the head of a small Hufflepuff boy, who gave them a dirty look as he ducked under their waving arms. "Heading down to dinner, are you?" They asked, settling their arms around my shoulders. I didn't bother trying to shrug them off this time, knowing they'd just put their arms right back.

"I don't have a constant need to eat like you two," I commented drily, leading them to the wall to get out of the way of the moving masses. Just the thought of going to go eat right now was making my stomach roll. The Twins had done exactly what they had done last night at lunch this afternoon and shoved as much food as they could onto my plate and mean-bugged me the whole time until I ate to their satisfaction. I was still feeling pretty full. "I actually need help looking for someone." I paused. "Well, two people technically."

Fred cocked his head at me. "Oh?"

George mirrored him. "Who are you looking for?"

"Have either of you seen Harry?" They both brightened at the mention of the boy who was practically an Honorary Weasley.

"He was on his way to the Great Hall. Looked like he was coming from McGonagall's office," George supplied.

Fred snickered. "He looked mighty pissed off, too, if the wrinkles on his forehead and the glare on his face was anything to go by." They both perked up at my sudden displeased expression. "You know why he's angry?"

"Do tell," George pressed, him and Fred both leaning closer to me. My stomach did a small flip at their proximity, but I gave them a brief summary of what had happened in Defense with Umbridge and the argument that had quickly escalated between her and Harry.

Fred pulled away, scowling. "Dad has been saying that the Ministry has fallen a ways lately, but we didn't think it was this bad."

"The Ministry is going against Dumbledore," George said, looking to his brother. "Dad says Fudge has lost his marbles lately with all his efforts being put into maintaining a normal cover for the community instead of coming clean that You-Know-Who has come back."

"You two believe he's back?" I asked surprised, though I immediately felt stupid for even asking considering Harry was one of theirs and the Weasleys have always believed that the Dark Lord would return one day.

"Course we do," They chorused. "Don't you?"

I visibly hesitated to answer. This was a topic I tried to avoid talking to with anyone, considering I was wholly uninformed when it came to what happened almost two decades ago with the Dark Lord and it was embarrassing that I knew so little about what was even going on. The Twins gave me concerned looks.

"Hayden?"

"I do," I said unconvincingly before talking over their opened mouths. "There's someone else I need help finding." They frowned at me, but nodded their heads for me to continue. I mentally apologized to them. "A girl named Terra Blanc." I was disappointed at the immediate frowns on their faces as they looked at each other over my head in confusion. "You don't know her?"

"We know _of_ the Blanc family," George assured me. "They're a Pureblood family that is almost as old as ours."

"I feel like there's a but in that sentence."

"Well," Fred hesitated, unsure. "They're kind of disgraced right now." I blinked in surprise and Fred hurriedly said, "Somewhere down the line, one of their own married a Muggle and tainted their bloodline. That's a big taboo among the older Pureblood families." I immediately thought of Malfoy and his family, whom were influentially powerful and, despite their prejudice and racist words, were quite popular in the Wizarding world at large. "It was pretty recent, so this Terra could be a cousin or something from this couple, but we're sorry to say _—_ "

" _—_ that we don't know anyone named Terra amongst our long list of informants." George gave me such a sad look that I wanted to desperately say something to make him smile again. Seeing either of the Twins sad was wrong on their normally laughing faces. "We weren't even aware that a member of the Blanc family was even here at Hogwarts right now. Most of the children from that family go to Beauxbatons since they're mainly in France and not here in Scotland."

To say I was disappointed was a complete understatement. If anyone knew everyone, Fred or George would've been the best options out of everyone in this castle excluding the teachers. They were both very popular students and were well-liked by the general population, so I knew they had quite a few friends. For them to not know about Terra at all was...disappointing. I knew I could always ask my Head of House, but I still had to find Harry and find out if Terra was alright. I would just have to make do without.

"Well, thanks, anyway, you two," I said, smiling good-naturedly at them. Noticing the double upset looks, I quickly said, "It's fine, you guys. Really, it's not a big deal. I'll find her eventually! It's not something to be upset about if you don't know someone."

"But still," Fred started, looking to his Twin for help, but I cut him off.

"It's _fine_ ," I insisted, subconsciously reaching out and grabbing one of his hands. It was much larger than mine and was burning hot. I almost released it, but resisted the urge. Mom and I did this a lot to Dad or Hailey since we were the most touchy feely out of our small family of four and it brought us a feeling of reassurance. Doing this to Fred was no different than doing this to Mom.

 _Keep telling yourself that._

"Don't be too upset about it." I reached up to tug at a side of Fred's mouth with a pointer finger, tugging it up into a forced smile. "You two helped me at least locate Harry. That's half of my work load taken care of." I let go of his hand and pulled my finger away from his mouth. "Speaking of Harry, I need to go catch him before he disappears again."

The two redheads nodded in understanding. "Just look for Ron or Hermione," Fred advised, his familiar grin making an appearance. "Wherever they are, Harry won't be far."

"It helps that he has quite a few enemies now that his name is practically mud," George teased.

I laughed. "Neither of you are wrong there."

On top of the Ministry dragging Harry down, now that Umbridge was here, The Boy Who Lived was quickly becoming The Boy Who Lies to the entire student body who were Ministry supporters, specifically the Pureblooded children. So long as Umbridge remained, his fifth year was not going to go smoothly, which really sucked since it was our O.W.L year and he should be worrying more about those tests than a Ministry Official terrorizing him in class.

 _I wonder..._

"You know, Georgie, I've never seen her smile like that before," Fred commented, eyes sparkling.

George nodded approvingly. "I agree. That's the look of a plan being born, Freddie. Care to share, Hayden dear?"

I struggled not to visibly react to _that_ particular endearment. "I have some ideas," I said slowly, thoughts swirling in circles around my head, "but I need time to think. I promise to get back to you both on what I have in mind."

"We'll hold you to that," Fred vowed, holding up his pinky. Knowing a universal sign when I see one, I linked my pinky around his and copied the action with George when he held his own pinky up.

"I won't forget," I promised. I choked a bit on saliva when they both lunged towards me and wrapped their arms across my shoulders to hug me to both of their chests. Hands ruffled my hair roughly and I shoved them both away with a mock snarl and took off down the hall to the Great Hall, their laughter echoing behind me in the now empty hall.

True to their words, Harry was quickly spotted beside Ron and Hermione with a clenched jaw and a knife and fork fisted tightly in both his hands. If it had been anyone else, I would've been wondering if they were plotting some sort of murder with that tight of a grip, but since it was Harry and he was a known bleeding heart, I wasn't too concerned for anyone's safety. I could understand his anger, though, as the showdown between him and Umbridge had already travelled among the students quite fast even for Hogwarts standards.

Through the bewitched ceiling, I could see that it was raining harshly outside. Puddles of water had been trudged in from those who had Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. Filch was nearby grumbling and growling under his breath, furiously mopping up the puddles with Mrs. Norris sitting contently a few feet away.

Hermione noticed my approaching form and nudged Harry, who turned to face me with a hearty scowl on his face.

"Don't give me attitude, Harry," I warned, arching an eyebrow challengingly. "That will be the last thing you will ever do to me."

He took a deep visible breath and asked calmly, "What do you need, Hayden?"

I nodded in approval. "Thank you. I want to talk to you about Defense." The scowl was back. "It's not what you're probably thinking. I already told you that I'm not here for a fight."

"What other reason could you possibly be here for then?" Ron asked rudely. Hermione glared and slapped him on the back roughly.

"I think you were out of line bringing Cedric up like you did," I said bluntly. Harry's eyes furrowed, confused. "I don't know if you realized this or not, but Cedric is still a sore spot for some people. Particularly the girl who I sat beside today. You bringing him up like you had against someone like Umbridge wasn't the smartest move on your part."

Harry was silent for a long while, watching me warily. "What are you trying to ask me?" I smiled. At least he got the underlying message I was sending him.

"I want you to apologize to her." He opened his mouth. "You might not think you did anything wrong, but I think Terra was really close to Cedric and you greatly offended her with how you were stomping on Cedric's name like you were. You don't need anymore enemies right now, Harry. I think it would be in your best interest to find her and apologize and just talk to her. She seems like a good person to have on your side right now especially with all of this drama going on."

Terra was still a mystery to me. All I had on her is that she once came from a Pureblood family that was now disgraced thanks to a decision one of her aunts made in the past, which still left much to be discovered about her. I didn't even know what House she belonged to since I had already figured out that she wasn't a Gryffindor. Such little information to me meant that she shouldn't be trusted until I was more familiar with her and she more familiar with me, but something in my gut was telling me that Terra would be a valuable asset in the future. I couldn't explain this feeling, but I felt like Terra knew things. Like how a mother seemed to always know things her child would try and keep from her.

I decided to trust that gut feeling, seeing as how it had hardly ever led me wrong before. I could thank Mom again for that mentality as she followed the same belief.

I turned to Hermione, the voice of reason in this group. "Please make sure he at least makes an attempt." My eyes narrowed. "Be assured that I will find out if you have or haven't talked to her within the next day or two. I hear and see everything that goes on in Gryffindor Tower better than Lavender does."

Threat delivered, I marched back out of the Great Hall with one final destination in mind before the night ended.

* * *

I wasn't going to go into great detail how it was that I had come across the kitchens back in my second year. It wasn't some grand big adventure nor was it the biggest discovery I had ever made here at Hogwarts. It had actually been quite an accident.

I remember one night during my second year I had been coming back inside from an evening Herbology lesson, covered completely in dirt from mandrakes that were completely against being put back into soil and who also disapproved of being uprooted so harshly like we had been doing that day. Ironically, it was Fred and George who had unknowingly passed on the secret to me. I had accidentally overheard them talking about getting food and drinks for the small party they had been planning for that night, watching as they disappeared down the staircase leading to the Hufflepuff Common Room. In a spur of the moment, I let curiosity rule me and snuck down after them. It was then that I figured out the door that would lead me to the kitchens.

After passing several fruit pictures, I came to a stop before an even bigger portrait. This one showed a magnificent looking fruit bowl. Smiling, I stretched up onto my tiptoes to reach the pear in the fruit bowl, crooking a finger and tickling the fruit. The pear gave a small giggle, twitching and wiggling, before a green doorknob appeared in front of me. I pulled it open and stepped inside.

The kitchen was a very warm room, partly thanks to the gigantic brick fireplace in one corner of the room and the countless ovens that were always being used to prep food. The high-ceilinged room was littered with rows upon rows of brass pots and pans. Magic was constantly being used in here, as many pans were being levitated back up into place or being pulled down with the snap of a finger from the three and a half foot tall magical creatures that controlled this area of the castle.

"Ah!" A squeaky voice exclaimed from the masses who were beginning to realize a student was now among them. Huge blue eyes and flappy ears rushed towards me, a beaming smile on their face as they presented me with an armful of some of my favorite green apples. "Hello, Miss. Hayden!" The House Elf squeaked out. The pitch was high-pitched, undoubtedly female. "Letty has been eagerly waiting for yous to come by, she has! She has many of these to share with Miss. Hayden now!"

Smiling down at one of the sweetest House Elves here, I squatted down and gratefully took all of the apples from her arms. "Thank you, Letty," I said happily, admiring the ripe apples. She never fails to get me some of the best apples Hogwarts can provide. "That's so sweet of you. I really appreciate it."

Letty beamed, eyes crinkling shut and bat-like ears flapping. "It is nothings, Miss. Hayden! Letty is happy to help!" Some of the other House Elves called out agreements, cheering and chattering as some went back to their work and others came towards me with drinks and food in their arms.

"Miss. Hayden hasn't eaten dinner tonight," Letty admonished, wagging a finger at me when I told the House Elves I wasn't hungry. She looked very disapproving. "Miss. Hayden must keep up her strength! It is a very important year this year, it is!" She sounded a lot like the Twins right now. And my Mom. Heaving a mock sigh, I accepted the food that the House Elves had so kindly placed in a basket for me, promising Letty that I'd eat it later.

She cocked her head. "Miss. Hayden didn't come down here for foods?" She asked.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I didn't." I was appalled when tears almost instantly flooded Letty's eyes. I had forgotten how quick to tears Letty was since it had been so long since I had last seen her cry.

"Letty is so sorries, Miss. Walters!" She wailed. "Letty should not have assumed you is here for food when dinner is still goings on upstairs! Letty will shut her earsies in the ovens later as punishment!" Some of the House Elves winced, spindly fingers reaching up to feel the bandages that were wrapped around their own ears.

"No, no! Don't be sorry, Letty!" I quickly assured her, gently stopping her from running to the nearest oven. Blue eyes looked up at me tearfully. "I am sorry that I didn't immediately tell you what it was that I was here for! It's not your fault at all." I smiled reassuringly at her, which seemed to work as Letty began slowly wiping her eyes.

"Miss has a question for Letty?" She asked unsure.

I nodded. "I do. I was hoping you'd be able to help me since I'm at a loss of what to do right now."

"Letty will do her very best to be of much helps to Miss as she can!" Letty promised.

"I am looking for someone," I said slowly, phrasing my words carefully. "A girl who is in my Defense class. I have never seen her before and she's not in my House, so I'm struggling trying to figure out where I can go to find her."

The House Elves were the ones in the castle who did all of the dirty laundry for us and the ones who tidied our beds and made sure they were nice and warm during the winter when it got cold. I figured that since this was their job, maybe they had seen what House Terra was in seeing as how they had to have some sort of naming system or a system in general to keep track of whose clothes were whose.

Letty tilted her head to the side. "A someones?"

"Yes," I nodded. "Her name is Terra Blanc?"

Letty immediately smiled and I felt hope rise in me. "Oh yes! Letty knows Miss. Blanc! Miss. Blanc is always so kind to us Elvsies and sometimes, she will come down to visit us! She loves to talks and share stories with us and is so helpful to us Elvsies!"

The feeling that Terra knew things most others didn't returned. Not many people knew where the kitchens were and the few that did certainly didn't go around advertising that they knew where one had to go to find it.

"Can you tell me what House she is in, Letty?"

Letty hesitated, but the honest look on my face must have encouraged her to share it with me. "Miss. Blanc is a Ravenclaw, Miss!"

 _Thank God. I don't know what I would've done if she had been in Slytherin. There's only so much Malfoy I can handle in one day._

"Thank you so much for your help, Letty," I said, rising. "And thank you for all of the food!" This was said to the whole room at large. Squeaky voices happily called back to me. Waving goodbye, I left the kitchens with my armful of food and the new knowledge of the now identified Ravenclaw.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

You guys, I am soooo sorry once again how late this is. I almost cried when I saw how long had passed since I had last updated. *Tears* Rest assured that I am finally going to go and see what I can do about Wi-Fi this week! Hopefully it will be manageable with my already tight ass budget.

This concludes the third chapter! I'm sorry for the slight shortness of this chapter. It's like 700 words short of 8000 and that makes me terribly sad, but I did add an extra 1500 more words than what I had first ended with, so that does appease me a bit.

Lots of hearts and appreciation to: 

**Satu-Ryuu:** I HOPE TO KEEP YOU ENTERTAINED! Thank you for giving this story a chance! It is so very much appreciated! *Hearts*

 **ElementalGirl1:** Like I promised, here is this new chapter! It's a couple days later than what I had promised you in that PM, but here it is at last! I vowed to myself to not be one of those authors. I get so sad when I read a bomb ass first chapter and then realize that it hasn't been continued in over a year and it just brings tears to my eyes.

OUCH! Don't do that. xD I shouldn't talk. I do that on a daily basis anyway. xD

 **SalvatoreChick:** I have to agree with your choices! Lupin and McGonagall are VERY good choices and I definitely approve!

 _End of Responses!_

 **Last chapter's answer:** I'm gonna be a bit stereotypical here and say that Severus Snape is my favorite Professor. Mainly because he is a secret Teddy Bear at heart, but underneath that crabbiness and general hatred of the human race, he is quite the amazing wizard!

Question for this chapter: **Who is your least favorite Hogwarts Professor, and why?**

See you all in the next chapter (HOPEFULLY SOONER THAN THIS ONE)! Thank you for reading!

~OQ


	4. Chapter 4

**D** **isclaimer:** I don't own the Harry Potter series. Unfortunately.

 **Author's Note:**

HEEELLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO!

On a less climatic note, this chapter got out way faster than the previous one. Two months faster, if we're gonna be specific. *Sheepish laugh*

Christmas is literally right around the corner, you guys, and I absolutely hate it. Christmas shopping never fails to frustrate me. And the crowds. God the crowds make me want to attempt homicide with all the Christmas crazies that haunt the malls and the nicer stores.

On another side note, I'M 20 NOW. Feels no different than 19, but I'm 20! One year closer to the big 21.

Now. On to the story! Please enjoy this chapter~!

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter F.O.U.R_

_"Displeasure"_

 _"If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?"_ -Rumi

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was...painful, to put it simply.

"Glaring at her isn't gonna change anything, you two," I reminded softly from my usual spot between the Twins as they glared daggers at one female Prefect, who was studiously ignoring them. Hermione's eyes never left the book she was reading through as she carefully ate the cereal that was in front of her without ruining her book. Beside her, Ron spoke quietly to Harry, who definitely looked like he had woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

Trelawney's dream diary assignment was being put off to the side as I could bullshit a dream just as easily as the next person, so I was instead putting the final touches on Binns' essay, relieved that I had managed to get the length he had asked for. I was reluctant to start Snape's essay, but since it was Snape and I needed the grade, I vowed to start it during dinner after Herbology ended.

"It sure makes me feel better," Fred grumbled spitefully, stabbing at his oatmeal.

"Threatening to write to our Mum," George snorted, rolling his eyes heavenward, but I knew deep down, he was taking that threat seriously. "What are we, a bunch of first years tattling on one another for some stupid reason? She's being ridiculous."

"She's just doing what a Prefect is supposed to do," I soothed, phrasing my words carefully and neutrally as I gently packed away my essay. "You two should've known better anyway. What were you thinking, using some of your products on some first years in the middle of the common room like that?"

"It was us conducting business," George defended.

"And it's not like there was any lasting effects on them," Fred added his own two cents, looking affronted. "They willingly volunteered."

 _Probably because you two promised to pay them for the trouble of willingly eating a pastel that was meant to make them faint._

Walking into the common room last night after my trip to the kitchens, I was met with chaos in the form of the Twins, Lee Jordan, and Hermione Granger squaring off with a huddle of first years sitting around the three boys. Hermione had been horrifyingly livid when she had seen the Twins giving untested products to a bundle of first years, protesting that it could be dangerous for them and that the three should stop. The Twins, of course, had brushed off her shouts and threats easily until she threatened to write to one Molly Weasley about what they were doing.

That had definitely gotten them to shut up.

Hermione had left that fight looking very irritated—a part of that was probably because Ron hadn't backed her up against his brothers; instead, he had hidden himself at a table beside Harry trying his damned hardest to be invisible—and had gone to bed early without even finishing the Potions essay that Snape had assigned us that very morning.

The Twins had carried a grudge with them to the breakfast table and it didn't seem to be going away anytime soon. The rain hitting against the windows and the fact that Hagrid wasn't at the staff breakfast table certainly matched their current mood.

I took a bite from one of the apples Letty had given me last night. "Maybe you should find another business spot, then," I suggested. "Now that you've pretty much ratted yourselves out to Hermione, she's just gonna be on the hunt for you two and Jordan in the Common Room. Why not use one of the empty classrooms down in the dungeons?"

Both boys quickly shook their heads. "That's Snape's territory. We're not getting caught selling our stuff down there by him. We'll lose everything we've worked for in a millisecond."

"You're being silly. So long as you're careful, the dungeons are the last place anyone would expect a secret business to be run. I can practically give you a schedule for Snape's patrols if you really want me to."

"No way," They said firmly, turning their noses up at me.

"Okay, how about Myrtle's bathroom then?"

"Georgie, did she say what I think she just said?"

"I think she did, Freddie. Our Hayden has officially lost her marbles."

I scowled, pushing down the flush that wanted to stain my cheeks. "Then what do the two geniuses here suggest? Do you two have any better ideas than what I'm offering?"

There were only so many open spaces available for anything not supervised by teachers, but there was also very little that the teachers would let the students get away with without proper supervision. I highly doubted a business-in-the-making was something they would allow to just slide on by. And Fred and George couldn't very well just skip class to make a couple Galleons because this was their final year and they had to do good in their classes so that they could graduate. They wouldn't be getting out of here with a Troll in N.E.W.T Herbology.

 _I'd kill them with my bare hands if they even tried that._

I blinked. When had I started caring about what grades they got in their classes?

Fred shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "We'll do what we do best."

"Prank people for a good laugh?"

George smirked mischievously. "Almost, but not quite." He leaned closer to whisper in my ear, like he was about to tell me his darkest secret. My heart thumped painfully. "We're gonna wing it."

I reared back and gaped incredulously at them. "Wing it?!" They immediately shushed me, hands slapping over my mouth. Heads turned to us curiously, but most quickly went back to their previous conversations.

"Tell the whole school our plan, why don't you?" George snarked sarcastically, removing his hand first since it was on top, Fred following suit. The skin around my mouth stung from the slap and I rubbed the spot petulantly.

"That's by far your stupidest plan ever," I said flatly. "You two are practically certified pranking geniuses and you're going to go around telling everyone that your business first started out by you winging out your sales blindly."

"We are not," Fred protested in a mock offended tone.

"We have some type of plan," George insisted at my disbelieving look. "We're just gonna wing it _entirely_."

"Coming from you, that's hard for me to believe," I mumbled, finishing off my apple and placing it on George's empty plate. The two had practically caused a scene when I had only pulled out my apple to eat for breakfast. They had half a mind to Body-Bind me and shove food down my throat, but stopped that thought after I half-heartedly promised to eat more at lunch, which I had absolutely no intention of.

 _These two will never understand that I don't need to eat as much as a horse to be full._

"What was that, Hayden?"

"Nothing, Fred," I said sweetly. "I didn't say anything."

George shook his head. "Our Hayden is awful at lying, Freddie."

Fred nodded in agreement. "I have to agree with you there, Georgie."

I swatted both of their arms. "I am not an awful liar, you two!" Both merely laughed at me, reaching around to hug me simultaneously. I crossed my arms awkwardly in the hug and refused to acknowledge either of them. Looking through the strands of red that were invading my eyesight, I glanced up and down the Ravenclaw table for Terra and was upset to see she wasn't here. Seems she wasn't a huge breakfast fan.

Around us, I noticed several Ravenclaws and Gryffindors getting out of their seats and were leaving the Great Hall. I knew that was my cue to leave.

I shrugged my way out of the arms of the Twins and stood up. "I'll see you guys later. I've gotta get to Double Charms before I'm late." I waved goodbye and hurried after my classmates.

Walking into Charms and immediately being greeted with a small lecture about our upcoming O.W.L.'s and their importance was not what I had pictured the second day to go. The lax looks on my classmates told the world how much they thought the same as well.

"What you must remember," Professor Flitwick squeaked, perched high on a pile of books so that he could see over the top of his desk, "is that these examinations may influence your futures for many years to come! If you have not already given serious thought to your careers, now is the time to do so. And in the meantime, I'm afraid, we shall be working harder than ever to ensure that you all do yourselves justice!"

To add on to that horror, we spent almost the whole class period reviewing Summoning Charms, which, according to Professor Flitwick, were bound to come up in our O.W.L. I scowled at the pillow that was ten feet away from me and _would not budge an inch._ I wasn't the only one struggling with this spell. Apart from Hermione, everyone was struggling to use this spell, even Harry, who had used this spell last year during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament to summon his broomstick from his dorm room.

"I hate this charm," I grumbled, trying and _failing_ to summon the pillow to me again. Jesus, what the hell was I even doing wrong with this spell? Professor Flitwick chose that awful moment to appear at my side and watch my attempt.

"Hmm," He hummed, disappointed. I winced, slightly ashamed and embarrassed. "A little more effort on your part might be required, Miss. Walters. I'm surprised," He admitted. "You normally do very well in my class." I wasn't top in the class since Hermione had claimed that spot back in first year, but I was still up there with the students who consistently got Outstanding's on assignments and exams.

"I'm not sure what about this spell I'm not getting, sir," I said, glaring at the pillow across from me. To my left, Ron successfully summoned his pillow to him, but ended up nailing himself in the face instead of catching it like he probably meant to. "I'm doing the correct arm motions and I'm not mispronouncing the spell, so I'm confused on why the spell isn't working."

Professor Flitwick never got to answer me for Neville's pillow sailed right into the tiny wizard's head and knocked the poor man down. His attention was diverted to Neville, whom apologized profusely and helped the Professor back to his feet. I almost cried when after brushing himself off, Professor Flitwick assigned us to work out a countercharm for the Summoning Charm, expecting it by our next class session.

 _You spiteful man._

Double Transfiguration was next and it was almost as bad in McGonagall's class than it was in Flitwick's. She started off her class with the sternest expression I'd ever seen on her face.

"You cannot pass an O.W.L.," She said grimly, "without serious application, practice, and study. I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an O.W.L. in Transfiguration as long as they put in the work." Neville made a sad little disbelieving noise from behind me. "Yes, you too, Longbottom," Professor McGonagall said. "There's nothing wrong with your work except lack of confidence. So...today, we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you would not usually attempt until N.E.W.T. level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your O.W.L."

McGonagall couldn't have emphasized anymore how difficult a Vanishing Spell was after that lecture. Upon setting us loose to practice the spell on some snails, everyone was enlightened to just how difficult the year was going to be when no one, except Hermione, of course, could vanish their snail properly for the whole hour we practiced. I considered it a relief that Transfiguration was like a science and I was good at science. I just couldn't explain the theory behind it to save anyone's life. It was a couple minutes before class ended that I made progress.

" _Evanesco_ ," I said firmly, pointing my wand at the invertebrate before me and watching in utter satisfaction as the snail vanished. Professor McGonagall, who had been watching me, gave a rare smile and awarded another ten points to Gryffindor for the successful use of the spell and telling everyone else to practice the spell overnight with the exceptions being Hermione and myself. Hermione left that class looking slightly put out. I noticed Harry and Ron making a beeline in the direction of the library without her and laughed under my breath.

I'm glad I beat the procrastinator out of me for the most past during my second year after experiencing the tiniest fraction of Snape's wrath from not finishing an essay for him. To prove that point, I spent the hour break that I had writing up an essay on moonstones for Snape that would hopefully at least get an Exceeds Expectations on it. The man was terrifying and intimidating, but he had high standards for us fifth years whether he liked us or not and I would like to get a good grade in his class if I wanted to move forward into N.E.W.T. level next year.

Arithmancy was the last class I had before lunch all the way up on the seventh floor with Professor Vector, a stern brunette woman who took great pleasure in dumping bucket loads of homework on her students. Anything Math related completely flew over my head when it was being taught, but for some reason, Arithmancy was tolerable and somewhat mediating for me despite the complicated number charts and the countless headaches I had afterwards.

Fred and George, who had claimed desks near the front, turned in their seats after hearing the door open and waved me over with wide grins. Both seemed to have finally gotten over their grudges with Hermione from this morning. I gladly claimed the seat beside Fred just as Professor Vector marched in, face set in a firm expression.

"Settle down," She called, settling herself against her desk. She crossed her arms across her chest as the class of thirteen quieted. "I'm not going to bore you with a speech about your O.W.L.'s like I'm sure your other Professors already have," She began, ignoring the audible sighs of relief from some Hufflepuffs, "because I know that all of you will take my exam seriously." She narrowed her eyes at all of us. "I will not tolerate failure from any of you, including my two N.E.W.T. students, who have been with me since their third year and should know their way around my lessons by now." Fred and George gave her exaggerated thumbs up. "We have until May to review everything from Heart Numbers to comparing and contrasting Character Numbers. So let's all get started."

"That was anti-climatic," Fred and George said, snickering.

"I'd expect nothing less from Professor Vector," I said, admiration for the woman leaking into my voice. I had no intentions of doing anything with Arithmancy once I graduated, but Professor Vector was by far one of my favorite Professors despite her no-nonsense personality and her class was definitely high on the favorites list.

"I think she's about to confess her feelings for the woman, Freddie," George teased.

"It sure does seem that way, doesn't it, Georgie?" Fred laughed.

I flushed. "Shut up, you twats," I huffed. Both boys took turns ruffling my hair affectionately and after hitting both of their hands hard enough to sting, I furiously tried straightening my hair back into place.

"Is there a problem over here, you three?" Professor Vector asked, eyebrow arched. The Twins gave her winning smiles and cheerfully shook their heads in the negative. Inquisitive eyes turned to me. I weakly shook my head. Behind me, some girls were giggling under their breaths and whispering to each other. Professor Vector stared us down for another couple seconds before moving on, reading from the open book in her hands as she walked down the aisles and lectured us.

"I hate you both," I said under my breath, loud enough for them to hear.

"No, you don't," They said confidently.

"I do."

"Lying is an awful habit to get into, Hayden dear!" Fred sang, pinching my cheek gently. My eye twitched as he let go.

"Stop calling me that," I demanded, though a part of me— _one that I struggled to ignore since the Platform_ —desperately hoped they wouldn't take my words seriously and would keep calling me that. "That's not my name."

"It can be," George piped up, writing notes on a piece of parchment. "It's a nickname. Nicknames are part of your original name, so technically we are calling you by your name."

"There's hardly any nicknames you can get out of my name that aren't cringe worthy and that nickname is definitely cringe worthy," I said flatly.

Just my name in general and how it's spelled makes it difficult for a nickname to be possible. It didn't rhyme with anything that would make sense for someone to always call me by and you couldn't make a word out of the two syllables in my name. Mom was disappointed that she couldn't call us by some original girly nickname, but I had no sympathy for her since she was the one who had named me. My sister was in the same boat as me, but she wasn't missing out on anything.

"Well, too bad for you, we like it, so you might as well get used to it," Fred announced, blue eyes daring me to challenge him. "Friends give each other nicknames. We're your friends, aren't we?"

Floundering at the suddenly serious turn in conversation, I struggled for an excuse to give him. "Friends do give each other nicknames, but not something as personal as that, you dummy. I'm not going to walk around calling you Freddie and George _Georgie_ anytime soon!"

"Why not?" I couldn't believe how confused they both were right now just because I didn't approve of a _nickname._

"It's too personal!" I said, exasperated. "I hardly know anything about you two to go around calling you Freddie and Georgie."

I noticed immediately when Fred's eyes seemed to darken and an almost fluttery sensation settled in my stomach. My heart was in my throat when he suddenly leaned closer to me with the most roguish smile I had ever seen on his face, eyes dancing and mouth smiling. He was so close that I could count the freckles that were splattered almost artfully across his nose and could smell the peppermint that was heavy on his breath.

"Why not get closer to us then, Hayden?" He asked. My breath stopped completely at how deep his voice had suddenly gotten and my stomach flipped almost painfully. "That can easily be changed, you know. All you have to do is ask us the right questions and we'll give you answers."

My mouth went completely dry and I found that I couldn't answer him right away. My mind was wiped completely blank and I couldn't find the words to say to that. All I could focus on were glinting blue eyes and a mischievous grin that did funny things to me that I couldn't understand at all.

 _Is Fred...hitting on me right now?_

"Are you two done?" I swore loudly and let out a screech as a slipped out of my chair, barely registering the hands that had frantically tried to grab my sleeve, but ended up losing their grip on me. Above me, Hermione was leaning over her desk with a cool expression that belied the irritation on her face. "It's quite hard to concentrate on Professor Vector when all I can hear is you two whispering as loud as you are," She said. To my horror, Professor Vector appeared at her side, mouth pinched.

"I also have to agree with Miss. Granger," She began slowly, eyebrows pulling down into an impressive half-scowl, "that it's quite difficult to teach my class when half of it is more focused on your conversations that my lecture." She snapped her book closed and lowered it to her side. "While I have always given my students free reign of where they sit, I am not above making a seating chart if they cannot focus." Quiet protests were heard from the back and Professor Vector silenced them with a look. "It's only the first day, Miss. Walters, but do I need to separate you and Misters Weasleys?"

"No, ma'am," I said quietly, staying still on the floor.

"No, Professor Vector," Both boys said, clearly ashamed.

Professor Vector scrutinized my face and nodded in satisfaction at what she saw. "Five points from Gryffindor for this disruption." She paused for a second before continuing. "And another five for that language. I do not tolerate such foul words in my class, warranted or not, Miss. Walters." Wincing, I nodded and sat up, accepting the hand Fred offered me and letting him pull me back into my seat.

George slapped his Twin on the back of his head the second Professor Vector had her back turned. "Nice going, you git." Fred winced and rubbed the spot, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Sorry for that, Hayden," He apologized, truly looking upset.

My words thankfully came back to me and I was able to answer him, "Don't be sorry," I said reassuringly. "I don't blame you at all." I hoped he heard the truthfulness in my voice for I honestly didn't blame him at all for us getting in trouble.

The rest of Arithmancy was spent under Professor Vector's watchful eyes and us taking notes on the review she was giving us on Heart Numbers. Fred was more subdued than normal, but he was as cheerful as always and George kept casting curious glances at his Twin that made no sense to me. Once the bell rang, we packed up our things and hurried down to lunch.

"I never thought this time would come," Fred said, stretching. "I'm starving."

George rubbed his stomach. It audibly growled and I rolled my eyes. "I am, too. I hope there's a good spread today."

"You're both always hungry, I swear." Looking towards the Ravenclaw table, the straw blond hair stuck out like a sore thumb among the crowd of black and brown. I excused myself from the Twins and hurried over to Terra, who was sitting by herself with a textbook wide open and absently eating what looked like vegetable soup. "You're a real pain to find, ya know," I commented, plopping down beside her. Terra startled and breathed a sigh, placing a hand to her heart.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," She reprimanded half-heartedly. "You scared me right out of my body."

I grinned good-naturedly at her. "I didn't mean to. I was hardly being quiet." I leaned closer to her. "Anyway, I'm not really here for a social visit since your House mates are kind of looking at me like I'm a unicorn or something, but I just wanted to ask if Harry has talked to you at all today."

Terra arched an eyebrow. "Potter? He stopped me on my way out from the library this morning, but that was it. Why do you ask?" She blinked in realization. "You're the one who told him to apologize to me, aren't you?"

"I hope you don't mind," I said, feeling unsure. This was a new feeling for me to be acting this close to the Ravenclaw when I knew hardly squat about her. "You were so angry in Defense yesterday that it only seemed like the right thing to do."

"You're not doing this just to keep me from being an enemy to Potter, are you?" Terra asked coolly, expression neutral. I debated giving her a false truth or even lying to her, but I was never a liar to begin with and for some reason, I felt like Terra would just see right through me anyway, so I settled on being honest.

"It's part of it," I admitted. "I don't know the kind of trouble Harry has been getting into lately, but I felt like he could use all the support he can get right now. He doesn't really need more people hating him, especially if they hate him because he was being insensitive. However, I mainly asked him to do it because he had no right to use Cedric like that. Cedric was a great guy and a great friend to everyone. It felt wrong to me if I just let Harry get away with using his name so callously like that."

Terra was quiet for a few moments and I feared that I had made the blond angry with me, but she finally heaved a sigh and said, "I already forgave Potter this morning when he apologized. You don't have to explain yourself anymore." She gave me a barely there grateful look. "I do appreciate you doing that. It means a lot."

The grin I gave her was wide and probably horribly cheesy. "No problem! I'm glad it helped." I got up to leave, but stopped when I remembered Umbridge's words. I was reluctant to pass the message on, but Terra would get in more trouble with Umbridge for not showing up to her detention if I didn't say anything. "You have detention with Umbridge tonight," I told her reluctantly. "It's in her office at six tonight, I think."

Terra gave an impressive scowl. "I know already. The old toad cornered me after Charms earlier to tell me the wonderful news. Ruined my good mood completely, she did. Flitwick had given me ten points for a good Summoning Charm while everyone else couldn't even make their pillows budge."

I perked up and looked a bit closer at the book she was reading. Sure enough, it was this year's assigned Charms book. "You can do the Summoning Charm well?"

She gave me an odd look. "Yes? It's not a hard Charm. It's one of the easiest ones we're going to be learning this year."

Ouch. My pride took a bit of a sting at that, but I welled the irritation with myself down. "Can you help me with it sometime? Charms is normally one of my better classes, but for some reason, I can't get this one Charm down."

Terra looked surprised, but she nodded. "I can help you, sure. I'm not in any extracurriculars, so I have a lot of free time after my afternoon classes are done."

"Can we do it before your detention?" I asked. I was eager to get the Charm down as soon as possible so that I could practice on my own and Terra could get back to whatever it is that she does outside of her classes.

She frowned and shook her head. "I probably should've been a bit more specific," She muttered. "I unfortunately have a Double Period with McGonagall for my last class today and it carries on until dinner starts, so it'd be pointless to try and teach you the Charm with only ten minutes of my time when the toad wants me in her office right at six. Tomorrow would probably be better."

"That's perfectly fine," I said. "After dinner in one of the old Charms classrooms on the third floor?" It was the most common place for students to go when they wanted to practice spells outside of class. Prefects routinely checked it after hours for wandering couples looking for some time alone, but we wouldn't be there until after hours, so we shouldn't experience any problems from any Professors or Prefects.

"That'll work."

"Sweet! Thanks, Terra!" I waved goodbye to her and skipped my way towards the Twins at the Gryffindor table.

* * *

To my not-so-complete surprise, Professor Sprout started our lesson with the by-now-normal O.W.L. and its importance lecture. I wondered if it was smart of the teachers to continuously be talking about our O.W.L.'s like they were. We all knew how important they were by now after our first four years of hearing about them, so any sane moron would take them as seriously as our final exams. Constantly restating what we already know would freak out the more anxious and nervous students and Madam Pomfrey would be overrun with crying students who were desperate for a Calming Draught before we could even get through half the year.

" _Incendio._ " The Fanged Geranium that had been hissing at me gave a high-pitched cry as a small flame burned one of its tentacles. It recoiled away from me, sharp fangs still bared at me with hate.

"Excellent casting, Miss. Walters," Professor Sprout praised. "Five points to Gryffindor." I high-fived Parvati, who was next to me. A couple Slytherins on the other side of the room scoffed loudly and cast their own fire charms, only to rear back when their spell was accidentally too strong and ended up making the Fanged Geranium they were trying to contain angrier than they already were. "Oh, you boys!" Professor Sprout hurried down the line, pulling her wand out of her sleeve as she went.

"Shows them right for trying to be cool," Parvati sniggered. She murmured a low " _Incendio!_ " at her plant and happily watched it back off with little more than a whimper.

Scooping out a handful of dragon dung, I creeped closer to my Geranium, who was still pretty stingy with me at the moment and gave a warning hiss. "Oh hush," I reprimanded it. "I'm only trying to give you more fertilizer so you can keep growing, you temperamental little thing." I held up my wand in warning when it gave a slightly lower hiss than before and it grudgingly allowed me to place the fertilizer at its base. It snapped sharp fangs at my gloved hands mockingly as I pulled back. I glared at it.

Damn thing reminded me a lot of my sister.

A lot of us were nursing bruised fingers from being bitten by the angry plants and everyone was dismayed about the essay Professor Sprout assigned us on Self-Fertilizing Shrubs at the end of class. Parvati was quick to beg me to help her with the essay and I ended up following her somewhat reluctantly to the Library after Herbology as we both had a long free period until dinner started.

"This year is ridiculous already," I groaned to the Twins at dinner an hour and half later. The hand that had been burned ached from the constant writing I had put it through today, but remembering Madam Pomfrey had said I could take it off after two days made it somewhat better. I could finally take the itchy bandages off tonight before bed and see how well that disgusting orange paste had actually healed the burn.

"We warned you," Fred sang, sounding very pleased with my misery. Our eyes connected and I hastily looked back down at my plate to grab a grape. Arithmancy was still heavy on my mind. I couldn't get the expression on Fred's face out of my head. His words still rung in my mind and my heart sped up just thinking of them. I gave myself a shake.

 _Focus. Don't think too much of it. You're probably overreacting anyway._

That annoying part of me that I had grown to hate seemed to cry at that thought.

"Don't get too behind," Lee said, once again across from me. "If you get behind now, there's no catching back up. Not without sacrificing sleep for a couple nights."

"You would know that, wouldn't you, Jordan?" I asked sarcastically, vindictively pleased at the embarrassed look on his face.

"And here I was trying to offer you my infinite wisdom," He bemoaned, touching his hand to his face dramatically.

"If I wanted your wisdom, I'd have asked for it." I speared a piece of salad and popped it into my mouth. The tips of Lee's mouth twitched, like he was struggling to repress a grin.

"You wound me, Hayden."

"You'll get over it."

"What if I don't?"

"Then that's your problem."

"Okay, you two," George interrupted. "Does Uncle George need to separate you two again?"

My eye twitched violently and I shuddered. "Please don't ever call yourself that ever again." Lee laughed at the disgusted look that I had no doubt was on my face.

George grinned wickedly. "Does it make you uncomfortable, Hayden dear?"

"As a matter of fact, it does."

"Oi," Fred nudged us both and nodded his head down the table. "Angelina's on the warpath." I leaned backwards to see around the Twins and grimaced at the spitting mad look the seventh year Chaser was sporting as she marched towards an unsuspecting Harry.

"She must've found out about Harry's detentions with Umbridge." I pitied Harry for the outburst he was going to get from Angelina. The woman was taking Quidditch very seriously this year now that Wood had graduated and she was made Captain.

"How many did she even give him?" Lee asked. "I thought it was just the one tonight?"

"No," I shook my head, "Umbridge gave him detention for the rest of the week. He has to go see her every day at five until Friday." Lee gave a wince, but didn't say anything as he shoved a piece of chicken into his mouth.

Fred and George whistled sympathetically. "That's gotta suck. No wonder Angelina's all mad. She had specially requested the pitch Friday night just for us and Keeper tryouts and really wanted the whole team there."

"Unfortunately for her, she's just going to have to deal with her Seeker not being there," I sighed, watching Angelina spit and rage at Harry, who was quickly getting himself worked up as well. "Umbridge isn't going to let him go just because of Quidditch. Not after the scene he had caused in her classroom." Angelina chose that moment to storm up to us, her expression thunderous and promising death.

"I don't suppose you two have detention Friday night, do you?" She asked somewhat testily. I glared at her. Seventh year Quidditch Captain or not, she was throwing her tantrum onto Fred and George for no reason and that didn't sit well with me at all.

They both took her anger in stride, smiling breezily at their fellow year mate. "We'll be there, don't worry, Angelina," They promised. Lips still pursed, Angelina took their word for it and stomped out of the Great Hall and up the staircases to no doubt go back to Gryffindor Tower for the night. A second later, Harry passed us in the same fashion, bag slung over his shoulder roughly and frowning like the world had done him a personal wrong, disappearing up the stairs a minute later to no doubt go to his detention.

"My sister would _hate_ Angelina if that's how she normally is," I commented idly as long black hair swished out of sight.

Fred and George both turned to look at me curiously. "You have a sister, Hayden?"

"Just one. Hailey." Just saying her name brought a small smile to my face. We were polar opposites in every sense of the word, but we couldn't be closer. "She's three years younger than me, but she's probably the most headstrong twelve-year-old you'll ever meet."

"You'll have to introduce us sometime," Fred hinted. I looked at him in surprise. He grinned. "If she's your sister, then we _must_ meet her. I wonder how well she'd take the new pranks George and I have been thinking up." George high-fived his brother over my head, grinning.

"I wouldn't waste your time and energy if I were you," I warned. My sister was no pushover when it came to revenge. She didn't tolerate pranks being pulled on her very well, not even from me, and she always got back at the person who pulled said prank on her. I had my doubts that even the Twins wouldn't escape her wrath completely unscathed. "My sister isn't a very tolerable person when it comes to pranksters. I have to contain that urge whenever I'm home or she very well might strangle me in my sleep."

"We'll change her mind," Fred said confidently. "Right, Georgie?"

"Right you are, Freddie," George readily agreed.

I rolled my eyes and popped the last bit of salad into my mouth, swallowing before saying, "It's your own funerals. I'm not responsible for any future scars."

It was strange how readily I was accepting of the Twins meeting my younger sister, whom I didn't let just _anyone_ meet. She might call it me being overprotective, but I simply called it me doing my job as the oldest seriously. Since it was Fred and George, though, I didn't totally mind them meeting her one day. Hailey would undoubtedly put them in their place the second they tried to pull something on her and I anticipated that day with great relish.

"What's with you and all the leafy green bullshit?" Lee suddenly asked as I pushed my empty plates away from me. I blinked at him in confusion, frowning slightly.

"What do you mean?"

He pointed to my plate with his fork. "The past three days that we've been here, I've only ever seen you eat vegetables and fruits, but very few meats. Are you a vegetarian or something?" Fred and George both gave me curious looks, no doubt wondering the same thing, but having some sense of tact to not outright ask me unless I brought it up, which I never would've without a prompt.

That was certainly a question I got all the time from people who've watched me eat for more than a day, though I never understood why. Mom was the same exact way, though she at least had more variety than I did. Nobody ever questioned her about her weird eating habits.

"It's not that I'm a vegetarian, Jordan," I said patiently, mentally prepping myself for the inevitable outburst. "I'm just an incredibly picky eater. There's a lot of vegetables and fruits that I really like, but very few meats that I can actually tolerate eating."

His eyes narrowed at me suspiciously. "You're not allergic to them, are you?"

"No."

"So your only reasoning for not eating a lot is because you're picky?"

"I don't eat a lot because I don't _need_ to eat a lot," I corrected him. The three boys looked at each other skeptically. I gave them all a very offended look. "I don't!" I defended myself firmly. "I've never been a heavy eater, but it's not like I'm starving myself. My ribs aren't visible and I'm not an unhealthy weight for my age. I weigh like a hundred-and-thirty-something pounds!"

All three boys gave my slightly skinny-but-not-so-skinny frame a once over. All cocked their eyebrows at me in disbelief. I scowled at them.

"You three, I swear," I cursed. "When did you all turn into my Dad?" Fred and George leaned their heads on my shoulders innocently.

"Didn't you know?"

"We've always been your Dad," Lee said cheekily. I lobbed a piece of chicken at him awkwardly, which he happily picked up and threw into his mouth. "So what do you like?"

"Not a lot," I said shortly, crossing my arms. The Twins rose at the same time and each grabbed one of my arms and uncrossed them from my chest.

"Come on, Hayden," George cooed, cradling my hand in his on his lap. "Don't be like that. It's an honest question."

"I'm not being anything but honest," I said. Fred mirrored his brother's move, holding my hand in his lap. The tips of my ears burned and I hoped to Merlin that my cheeks weren't as red as my ears.

"Then answer his question," Fred pressed.

I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes heavenward. "You'll have to be more specific," I said finally.

Lee straightened. "What kind of meats will you eat?"

"Steak and beef so long as it's cooked a certain way." Lee made a hand gesture, as if asking me to continue, but when I didn't and only arched a brow at him, he gaped in astonishment at me.

"You can't be serious? That's it? You won't eat chicken or ham or turkey or pork? None of that?"

"No. I don't like the tastes."

He gulped and asked shakily, "Bacon?" And here's where the ball drops.

"Bacon is probably my least favorite thing to eat. I haven't touched bacon since I was little and decided that I didn't like it."

Lee's head hit the table so hard that the plates around us rattled loudly and a cup filled with water spilled all over a first year girl. She yelped and jumped to her feet, holding her sopping wet robes out from her body. She gave Lee a mighty death glare for her age.

" _Scourgify_." I pointed my wand at the girl's robes, watching as her eyes widened in surprise when her robes suddenly became dry. She gave me a beaming smile in thanks, a final glare at the downed Lee, and left the table.

"How do you not like bacon?" Lee moaned into the table. His hands came up to tangle into his black curls. "There's something wrong with this girl." Fred and George had to actively hold me back from reaching across the table and strangling Lee with his own hair.

Later on that night, after watching Ron sneak out with what looked like a brand new Cleansweep Eleven in his hands and saying goodnight to the Twins and a still horrified Lee, I was fully prepared to retire to my dorm to take off the bandages on my hands since it was getting quite late when the portrait suddenly swung open and Harry walked in looking extremely pale.

I paused on the first step to watch him almost stagger his way across the Common Room. One of his robe sleeves was pulled down over his hand, but not even that could stop me from seeing some of the skin there looked extremely red and raw-looking, like he had rubbed his hand across sandpaper. He caught me looking and something on my face must have alarmed him because he practically sprinted up the stairs and the slamming of the boy's dorm echoed down to me.

I don't know how long I remained at the foot of the stairs staring up at the place where Harry had disappeared into before I slowly made my way upstairs to go to bed.

 _She didn't...she couldn't..._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Okay, so the plan is to update every Sunday at least. I hope. I'm gonna try. I still don't have Wi-Fi cause of some money problems and my bills suddenly decided to go up, but I'm gonna try and force my ass to the library a couple times a week to work on the next chapter. I'm gonna try here, but let's hope I can keep it up.

I SQUEALED SO HARD AS I WAS WRITING THE ARITHMANCY LESSON, OH MY GOODNESS. KJBDIGBIBA;KJBDFGK;JBAKJBDGF

Writing about those three gives me such great pleasure. *Fangirls*

Lots of hearts and appreciation to: 

**SalvatoreChick:** Umbridge is the literal worst and I hate that woman so much, oh my God.

 **Savage Kill:** First, your nickname is pretty bomb. I seriously like it. Two, you're definitely not wrong. xD You will not BELIEVE where I get my ideas for the inevitable Hayden and Umbridge confrontation. It's awful.

 **ElementalGirl1:** I HOPE THIS CHAPTER LEAVES YOU AS SUSPENSEFUL AS THE LAST ONE.

 _End of Responses!_

 **Last chapter's response:** I don't know why I didn't catch this before I posted the last chapter, but I already posted this question in the first chapter and my answer hasn't changed from the first time. xD

Question for this chapter: **What is your favorite Harry Potter subject?**

See you all in the next chapter! Thank you so much for reading this chapter! *Hearts*

~OQ


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. Like, at all.

 **Author's Note:**

NEW CHAPTER, NEW CHAPTER, NEW CHAPTER, NEW CHAPTER!

Helloooooo, everyone! Welcome back to another chapter!

I won't waste any time in getting this chapter rolling, so let's get this started! Please enjoy this new chapter!

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter F.I.V.E_

_"Etched"_

 _"I don't need power at the cost of spilled blood."_ -Viktor Yanukovych

* * *

Harry was avoiding me.

Oh, it wasn't one of those moments where he sees me in the hallway walking in his direction and he turns right back around to go back the way he had just come from. No. He was pretending he couldn't feel my stares on him and went completely out of his way to even pretend he never heard me calling his name from across the Common Room. He wasn't being very slick about his avoidance. Hermione and Ron instantly noticed, of course, as his best friends, Fred and George noticed, too, but were kind enough not to push me about it since I was already in a foul mood over it. Practically everyone in Gryffindor knew Harry was avoiding me, but none of them knew why.

"I might kill him," I growled to Terra as Harry walked right past me at the Ravenclaw table without any sort of acknowledgment after our eyes accidentally met. Hermione cast me a pitying look and snarled at Ron under her breath when he whispered something too low for me to hear.

There was a tangible relief in the air from my year mates as today was finally Friday and we were only a handful of classes away from the weekend. Streaks of lightning and the harsh pattering of raindrops against the Great Hall windows kind of dampened their moods, though. It had been a rather sullen and sodden first week of terms and many of us had been looking forward to spending the weekend outside instead of trapped in our Common Rooms for two days.

"Remember that murder is illegal," Terra commented absently, swirling her spoon around her now soggy cereal in lazy circles. We only had Defense together during the week, but I often made it a point to sit with her at the Ravenclaw table during meal times since she was always alone. She never shooed me away or asked me to leave, so I happily made myself comfortable by her side every day. I had even gotten her to come sit with the Twins and I at one point during dinner, but I had a sneaking suspicion that she wouldn't make _that_ mistake ever again.

"Not if I don't get caught," I snarled under my breath. Irritation was just oozing off of me in waves at the moment. I was never a patient person, but by the Gods, Harry freaking Potter was trying that small patience for every minute he pretended he couldn't hear me. A couple of Ravenclaw first year boys took one look at my face and practically fell out of their seats to flee the Great Hall.

"Why are you trying to get Potter's attention anyway?" Terra asked, looking up from her book. She gave a slow smile. "Don't tell me you _like_ —"

"Finish that train of thought and I will throat punch you so hard, you'll be choking on your own spit till next week," I threatened. Terra's mouth snapped close. "I do _not_ like Harry that way. It's too stereotypical to fall for the so-called _Chosen One_."

Terra didn't look like she believed me, but she didn't pursue the topic and asked, "Then why?"

 _Because why shouldn't Harry have someone to at least look after him? His own best friends don't seem to have noticed what's been going on in Umbridge's detentions._

There were so many other reasons than just that. Because Harry was trying so hard to hide his sudden bouts of anger and still maintain his cool and I was only trying to help him ease a load off his shoulders.

Because I _knew_ what that _awful_ woman was doing to the students she puts in detention with her.

Because he needed someone to watch his back even when he probably didn't want it.

Because sometimes it was better to have someone from an outside perspective to watch what was going on around him. Someone who wasn't going to be _biased_ because they were his best friends and they would follow practically anything he said.

 _Because Umbridge was causing him physical harm and he was so adamant about keeping it secret from everyone, including the Headmaster._

I gave Terra's hand, which was carefully bandaged, a pointed look. "Wouldn't you want someone to worry over you after what's been going on this year so far?"

I remembered first seeing it Wednesday during our first meeting in the Charms classroom. She had obviously done her best to pull herself together before we met, but she couldn't hide how pale she still was or that she hadn't noticed the blood seeping through the poorly hidden bandages. I had thrown myself at her the second she had walked in and wrestled her hand to me easily, carefully pulling the bandages off before she could stop me. Just remembering her pinched lips and displeased expression at the wounds on her hand had that pit in my stomach dig itself a little bit deeper.

 _I will not cause disruptions._

"No," Terra said immediately, eyes snapping back to her book and pulling her sleeve down over her hand. She wasn't really reading the words printed, just staring at them with adamant firmness. "There are better things to be concerned about than what's going on in my life. No offense to Potter, but he's not handling his life so well right now. He has two people right beside him who are willing to listen and help, but he's choosing to deny their help and pretend that he has everything under control?" Terra gave a derisive snort. "Potter's a ticking time bomb right now. He needs an outlet, but seeing as he keeps refusing an outlet, he's only going to get worse and worse."

Terra reminded me of Hailey. Their mindsets were very similar. Both had very little sympathy for other people's problems if said people weren't making any efforts to help themselves and both were more willing to look out for themselves than they were for other people. Not that it was a bad thing, but it was almost like they were dancing on a fine line between making themselves happy or just giving the world a giant middle finger and basically saying that everyone could go rot for no other reason than breathing.

"Don't take my words too close to heart," Terra warned, noticing the hurt on my face. "I'm not the friendliest person ever and I'm blunt to a fault. You have your opinion and I have mine. I believe that Potter is handling things completely wrong right now, but that's just me. He grew up one way and I grew up another. I can't completely judge him for his choices."

"That's such a wise way of saying mind your own business," I teased, putting her coldness in the back of my mind. Terra was definitely a harsh and no bullshit kind of girl, but I felt like she meant well.

Terra rolled her eyes. "I wasn't trying to give that impression, but think whatever floats your boat."

Finny chose that moment to swoop down, landing perfectly in between Terra and I with barely a thump on the table. Finny gave Terra an appraising look, clicking his beat in that strange rhythm of his when Terra massaged the feathers on his wings for a second. He was definitely a lover of people unlike some of the other, more temperamental owls. He turned his attention to me and hooted expectantly, clicking his beak when I held out a bit of sausage.

"You're spoiled," I scolded him with no real heat, tenderly brushing his feathers. "Wanna stop by the Tower tonight? I have a letter I need to send." Well, I still needed to write it, but I had plenty of time today to do it. I felt bad for forgetting to write to Mom on Monday like I had promised her, but she would understand. School was school no matter if it was Muggle or Magical. It got hectic.

Finny puffed out his chest and hooted almost importantly, like I was asking him to deliver something to the Minister of Magic himself. He took the last sausage into his beak and I sent him off to the Owlery until tonight.

Breakfast and History of Magic flew by and soon enough, I found myself making my way down towards the dungeons for my Double Potions lesson with the giggling Parvati and Lavender right behind me and Neville a few feet behind them, nervously looking over his essay for the properties of moonstones and tripping over his feet as he walked down the steps. The Slytherins were already making themselves comfortable in the classroom, chattering and sneering together as we all walked in.

A foot suddenly appeared in my way and I easily hopped over the offending limb. A shriek and a crash told me that Lavender hadn't been so lucky in dodging the foot. She was sniffling as she cradled a bloody nose, having landed on her face, while the Slytherin girl, Pansy, gave a cackling laugh with her group of of girls following suit. I helped Parvati get Lavender to her feet, steadying the brown-haired girl when she stumbled and tried to keep blood from leaking further down her chin.

"Clumsy clumsy, Brown," Pansy said, cradling her chin in her palm and smiling mockingly. "Do watch where you're going next time."

"You tripped her, Parkinson," Parvati snapped, fingers hovering close to her best friend's face in an unsure manner.

Brown eyes widened innocently. "Me? I would never." The innocence was quickly replaced with a sneer. "Maybe Brown should learn how to walk properly instead of on two left feet." Millicent Bulstrode gave a brutish snigger. Astoria Greengrass, a beautiful blond, blue-eyed girl, gave a shaky laugh that had no real heart into it. Her eyes seemed to dim when Lavender gave a weak sniffle from behind her hands, but that dim disappeared when she caught me staring at her, changing to cold aloofness in a heartbeat.

Ignoring Pansy's laugh, I pulled my wand out from my pocket and coaxed Lavender's hands away from her face. She dropped them reluctantly, gazing pitifully up at me. Brown eyes were swimming with tears and blood oozed from her nose steadily over her lips and down her chin. "Is my nose broken?" Lavender asked weakly, fingers subconsciously reaching up to touch her nose. I swatted them away gently.

"Can you scrunch it up for me?" Lavender did so slowly with a pained wince, but nodded. "Then no, it's not broken. Probably just severely bruised, but that's better than broken." I pointed the tip of my wand at her mouth and said the one spell I'd been using more often than not. " _Scourgify_." The blood disappeared from Lavender's face. I reached up with my other hand to gently press against her nose, ignoring Lavender's wince of pain. "I'm not a Mediwitch, but if it continues to hurt after class ends, I'd go see Madam Pomfrey to get it looked at. I'm almost positive that it's not broken, though."

"I would definitely go to Madam Pomfrey," Came Pansy's unwanted drawl. "I wouldn't trust the word of a Mudblood like her. She could be lying just so she could feel better about herself." I glared at her from over my shoulder, baring my teeth at Bulstrode when she sat up straighter and cracked her knuckles threateningly.

"I don't need to laugh at someone's pain to feel good about myself," I sneered.

"Don't use that language, Parkinson!" Parvati said angrily, bristling indignantly.

Pansy glared at the Indian girl. "Don't tell me what to do, _Patil_. I can very well say what I want to say to a lowly witch like her."

"This _lowly witch_ could hex you to next Sunday if she really wanted to, Puginson," Pansy's face burned and she snarled at the nickname that had followed her all the way from first year. "Watch your mouth. A Pureblood should have more class than trash-talking another witch." Pansy opened her mouth to retort, but nearly choked herself silly when a new voice entered the conversation.

"And _what_ ," We all froze at the deep baritone that came from the back of the room, "is going on here?" Professor Snape glided into the room, dark eyes pinning us into place as they swept over all of us and black robes fluttering around his tall form.

"Parkinson tripped Lavender and gave her a bloody nose, Professor," Parvati immediately stated, shooting daggers at Pansy.

"I did not," Pansy lied, sounded perfectly offended. "She tripped herself, Professor! I didn't do anything!"

Professor Snape cast a cursory glance over Lavender's face and a cold pit dropped in my stomach. I realized too late that maybe I should've left the blood on Lavender's face so that we could prove that she actually did have a bloody nose. "I fail to see any blood on Miss. Brown's face, Miss. Patil," He said smoothly, lips curling just slightly. "Therefore, I am under the impression that you are lying to me." Parvati sputtered incoherently while Pansy smirked victoriously. Snape strode past her, saying, "Fifteen points from Gryffindor. Now sit down so we can begin today's lesson. And set your moonstone essays on the edges of your desks. I will be by shortly to collect them."

God, we were just losing all the points this week.

I nudged Parvati towards her desk, shaking my head furiously at her when she opened her mouth to argue back. Arguing with Snape would only lose us more points. Lavender glumly took her seat beside Parvati, looking very miserable for the whole lesson. Parvati spent that whole lesson scowling at Pansy, who seemed to enjoy the girl's angry expression, with Lavender never taking her eyes off her Potions book or her cauldron.

 _This is so unfair to Lavender._

If it had been another teacher's classroom, the outcome would've definitely been different, but, I realized, that would also be unfair because the other teachers were _biased_ with their own students. If we had told McGonagall what had happened, she would've instantly believed us. Same with Flitwick and Sprout, but only because what teacher would believe a Slytherin, the House notorious for lying and cheating and getting their way no matter what? No one would, except other Slytherins and Professor Snape.

 _When did you start caring about House equality? No one else could give a rat's ass whether Slytherins or Hufflepuffs were being treated fairly except for you._

I pursed my lips as I absently bottled up the potion we were assigned today, handed it to Professor Snape, and left the dungeons. I didn't care for the Slytherins. At all. They were a pretentious bunch that looked down on witches like me, shoving nasty words down our throats and just making our lives in general Hell outside of our Common Rooms. They made no effort to be friendly with anyone outside of their own House and never hesitated to bring someone with "dirty blood" down with their words. Thinking about all the spells that had been thrown from that side of the field made my blood boil, but then I remembered all of the spells casted from my side and that soothed the irritation welling up inside me.

I gave my head a shake and threw thoughts of the classroom incident out. I didn't care about House equality right now, not when I had a mountain of homework in my bag that had to be done by Monday for four of my classes.

* * *

I managed to get a good portion of Trelawney's dream diary—rest assured that most of it was completely bullshitted and full of bad omens to satisfy the loopy woman—and practice McGonagall's Vanishing spell some more before Fred and George hunted me down from my spot in the deeper depths of the library. Fred slung my bag across his shoulders sloppily and stacked my books in his arms while George easily carted my struggling body out of my hiding spot, earning us a severely unimpressed look from Madam Pince.

"Come on, you guys!" I slapped the back of George's shoulders, straining against the hold his arms had around the backs of my knees to keep me from kicking him. "I have too much homework to do for this nonsense! Put me down!"

I didn't really care that I was causing a huge scene right now, curious and incredulous eyes watching the three of us walk through the hall like this was a very normal occurrence. It most certainly was _not_ , but I would kill Fred and George if they thought this was okay for every time they needed me somewhere else.

"You can do your homework at lunch with us," George insisted, tilting his head back to look at my furious face. He chuckled when my glare only hardened. "It's not good for you to hide away in the Library like Granger does all the time. You'll become anti-social."

"I'm already anti-social," I snapped, fisting my fingers into the red and black Quidditch uniform he was wearing. "Shouldn't you two be somewhere else right now? Like, oh I don't know, _maybe the Quidditch field for tryouts_?"

"Angelina would be stupid not to keep us on the team," George said confidently. "Besides, tryouts don't start till after dinner."

"We're the best Beaters she has right now out of the whole House," Fred agreed smugly, puffing up with serious pride. "We're practically guaranteed those spots with her as Captain."

 _That is favoritism at its best._

I switched tactics. "I'm not hungry."

"You don't have to eat." I gave George an unblinking stare, arching an eyebrow. "Okay, we'll insist you eat _a little_ , but we won't force food down your throat," George compromised reluctantly. "We promise."

"We just want your lovely company," Fred said, brown-nosing technique on full blast and eyes shining. It was only just barely working. "It's almost tradition at this point for you to be at food times with us."

"I'm with you two all the time," I said, exasperation heavy in my voice. "You see me three times a day, four times on Tuesdays and Fridays, in the Common Room every night before bed, and before some of my classes if we're going in the same direction! Aren't you two tired of me already?!"

"Not at all," They chorused, grinning. I heaved a groan and gave George's shoulder— _holy shit, his arms were_ so _fit_ —one last resounding smack before slouching moodily in his hold. He readily adjusted me so that I was practically sitting across his forearm and his other arm wrapped bracingly behind my knees. I lazily waved at Professor Sinistra, who had frozen almost immediately upon seeing us and seemed torn between yelling at us or to let her mouth hang loose for another couple minutes.

She chose the first option. "Boys!" I had to wrap my arms around George's neck as he and Fred instantly took off away from Professor Sinistra, laughing the whole way down to the Great Hall. George initially had wanted to carry me into the Great Hall before letting me go—"It'll be a grand entrance, a knight carrying the rescued princess from the deep, dark depths of the Hell known as the Library!"—but he quickly relented after I gave his ear a very painful yank and set me down on my feet before we walked in.

Fred gave a roaring laugh at his brother's expense as George rubbed his abused ear with fake tears filming his eyes. I refused to feel bad for him. "The princess put you in your place, Georgie," Fred mocked, smothering his laughs behind his hand as we claimed our normal seats. He pouted when I snatched my bag and books from him before he could no doubt hide them from me.

"This princess doesn't need two fumbling knights to rescue her," I stated primly, sniffing indignantly as I grabbed a bread roll and some butter. "She is perfectly capable of saving herself."

It felt nice to be able to tease with people like Fred and George. They hardly took what I said to heart and always had a comeback ready before I even finished talking, like they knew beforehand what I was going to say. Sometimes I felt like they had a book of comebacks specifically for me some days when they responded a bit too fast to be normal.

I knew I wasn't the nicest person and it showed with the few people I talked to, though why they stuck around with my mean ass was a mystery. Mom always said I got that from her, but I never believed her. Mom was all open friendliness and loved to talk and smile and just be all around bright and sunny. I was _none_ of those things. If it was a pick between myself or Hailey, it would be Hailey who was more like Mom despite the fact that she was just as mean and spiteful as I was.

"The princess certainly doesn't act like a princess," Lee commented, plopping down with a huge sigh.

"You don't even know what we're talking about."

"I can certainly guess."

"Well, you guessed wrong."

"There they go again," Fred sighed to his brother over my head. "I swear they're like a married couple, George."

"I agree, Fred. They certainly fight like one."

The chorused "Shut up, you two" had both the Twins laughing until real tears pricked the corners of their eyes. A wave of black and brown hair passed us and I was happy to see Lavender beaming at something Parvati had said. Lee noticed who I was looking at and asked, "What's with the happy face you're making at the two Gryffindor Gossips?"

I shook my head. "It's not important. There was just an incident during Potions with Lavender and Parkinson that ended with Lavender getting a bloody nose and us losing fifteen points."

"What?" Fred exclaimed, craning his neck to look closer at Lavender. It didn't matter if the Twins only talked to a select few people. The second they found out one of their own was hurt, pranks would be cooked up and plans would be made to make the tormentor suffer.

"What happened this time?" George asked, glaring at the Slytherin table, which was suspiciously quiet. Malfoy had his head bent towards Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased while Parkinson held onto his every word with sparkling hero-worship brown eyes. Further down the table, Astoria Greengrass was barely acknowledging Tracey Davies, who was trying her damned best to get the girl's attention for one reason or another.

"Like I said, it's not important. Parkinson was just being her normal, pug-like self." The topic was thankfully dropped, though the boys didn't stop casting looks at the House of green and silver, who never noticed the waves of animosity directed at them.

An hour later had the Twins waving goodbye as Angelina dragged them forcefully from the Great Hall by the backs of their uniforms, face set in a determined frown. Lee and I shrugged at each other, said our goodbyes, and headed to our last few classes before the weekend started.

* * *

We ended an already dreary Friday with another horrible chapter reading session in Defense. Umbridge looked pleased that Harry hadn't said a peep through the whole period, eyes glinting with cold satisfaction. She only gave Terra a onceover, eyes narrowing on her bandaged wrist before assigning us to read the second chapter of the yellow book that was looking more and more like firewood to me with every passing day.

Fred and George didn't make an appearance at dinner, much to my surprise, but remembering Angelina grabbing ahold of them at lunch didn't worry me too much. She was probably keeping them hostage at the Quidditch pitch already. I resolved myself to making myself comfortable with Terra at the Ravenclaw table for tonight. And to visit Letty after dinner to get a basket of food for the undoubtedly starving redheads.

"That woman is the Devil in disguise," Terra said lowly, angrily shoving mashed potatoes into her mouth, pausing long enough to scratch roughly at the bandages on her hand. I slapped the limb away, much to her annoyance.

"Stop itching it," I reprimanded sharply. "You're going to make it worse. How many more detentions do you have with her?"

"Last night was my last night," Terra grumbled moodily. She looked exhausted. The bags under her eyes were beginning to become pronounced and her shoulders were slumped forward rather than pulled back like they normally were. Something tugged in me at seeing Terra look so dead. I could only hope that she would spend the weekend relaxing or sleeping. "The Devil Woman said that the 'message has sunken in quite nicely' and decided that I didn't need another day."

"That's ridiculous," I hissed. "No offense to you or anything, Terra, but why does Harry have to suffer for much longer when you both were causing a disturbance in class?"

Terra dragged a hand across her forehead and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. "Hearing that You-Know-Who is back is not something Umbridge, as a Ministry Official, wants to hear in her classroom. She's trying to wrench the thought out of us, remember? I didn't even mention the bastard. All I did was walk out the door an hour early and I got three days worth of having words etched into my skin by my own hand."

I gently grazed my fingers over the bandages, frowning. "Has any medicine been helping? Any spells?"

"Considering I was using a Black Quill, the etch will scar," She said sarcastically. "No spell or medicine will make it completely better. Best thing I've found so far is just drowning my hand in Murtlap Essence and wrapping it."

"I wonder if Harry has thought of using it," I wondered, leaning to see the boy in question sitting with Ron and Hermione, as usual. His right hand was scooping up bits of pudding, but his left hand was nowhere in sight.

"I doubt it. Potter's not the brightest. He relies too much on Granger and Weasley for answers."

"Harry's not stupid," I said automatically, seeing as she _was_ insulting my House mate. "He's smart."

"But not smart enough to look up what could help his hand heal without going through the stages of pain," Terra snarked back. She had a point and my silence brought a victorious smirk to her face.

"Were you talking about Professor Umbridge just now?" Both of us looked to the girl who had spoken, a blond first year who was wringing her hands on top of the table. She looked close to tears. "She put one of my friends in detention yesterday. She came back crying, saying that her hand was hurting." Green eyes cast us hopeful glances and I felt my heart break a bit. "Can you share with me a spell or a potion to help her? I'd go through the library, but I don't want my friend's hand to keep—"

"I'll brew some extra Murtlap Essence for you," Terra promised quickly. The Ravenclaw first year froze and gave Terra the brightest smile an eleven-year-old could give. That smile got even bigger when Terra pulled a spare vial of said potion out of her pocket, giving the girl simple instructions on how to use it. Said girl barely got the thank you out of her mouth before she was barreling towards where I assumed to be Ravenclaw Tower with the vial clenched tightly in her fists.

"Softy," I teased. Terra scowled.

"Shut it, Carrot Top."

"Wow, how original. I've never heard that one before." I got a smack for that one, but the lack of bite in the hit told me she was joking.

Terra stopped me from leaving the table early to go do homework, grabbing my arm and digging in her bag. "I've taken to carrying lots of extras on me just in case my hand starts hurting a bit too much. Just don't tell Potter it's from me," She made me promise. She slipped a vial of Murtlap Essence into my hand. "I don't want him going all bloody sappy on me so early on in the year." I had to laugh at that.

Stopping by the kitchens before heading up to the Common Room could be a good and bad thing. Good because Letty was so happy to see me again so soon and I loved when Letty was happy. She was such a sweet House Elf and I had grown fond of her over my times spent at Hogwarts. It was a bad thing because the second the other House Elves found out the Twins had skipped dinner, they had been beyond themselves with mortification.

And tiny Letty, who I had _never_ heard raise her voice above her normal high-pitched squeak, turned on her feet so fast and yelled "Food!" with so much force that her tan face actually bloomed red for a split second and she nearly sent herself toppling over. I had a basket in my hands within seconds and quickly being filled with lots of charmed food from dinner that would last until it was eaten. I nearly collapsed under the weight, but graciously thanked Letty and the other House Elves, who looked very pleased with themselves.

The trip up to the Seventh Floor was by far one of my worst experiences at Hogwarts so far.

* * *

The Common Room was thankfully quiet when I sat down to write Mom's letter. Hermione was across from me, buried in some of her notes and religiously color-coding them. There were a couple first years playing a quiet game of Exploding Snap under the watchful eyes of a fourth year, but it was just us other than that. I pulled out a roll of parchment and my quill and ink and started scratching.

 _Mother,_

 _I hope you won't ream me too much for how late this letter is. I had a rather..._ interesting _first week. I say that loosely, but not all of it was terrible. Least to say, I forgot to write this letter to you until I only just remembered this morning at breakfast when Finny showed up out of the blue. At least one of us can remember to keep a promise and it's obviously not me._

 _How have you been? Dad? Hailey? Is she taking care of Echo? I'll kick her ass if she isn't. Echo is my baby and deserves to be pampered accordingly. Let me know how she's doing. I miss her very much. It's never not going to be strange to not have her skulking around and watching me creepily. Damn shame we can't have two pets here at school, though I don't think the owls would appreciate it. Poor things shouldn't have to fear for their lives anymore than they already are with Crookshanks on the prowl._

 _School hasn't been bad so far. McGonagall and Vector are taking serious pleasure in handing out bucket loads of assignments every class. It's almost scary how much they hand out in a single day. Snape isn't any better. He's being especially hard this year. Poor Neville doesn't stand a chance against the man, especially with his fear of him and his general clumsiness. He's already ruined his first two potions somehow. Both have been as thick as freshly made cement and Snape isn't too terribly amused with him right now. I'm considering offering him help since I'm not bad at the class. Lord knows Neville needs it._

 _We have a new Defense teacher this year. Typical since that job is rumored to be cursed. She's a Ministry worker and I swear, Mother, she means trouble. You would not like this woman. What's the word you call women you don't like? A Sheytana? It's difficult to keep track of all these foreign words you pick up out of nowhere. I think she accurately fits that description. She-Devil indeed. Where did you even pick up that word?_

 _Has anything new happened? Anything interesting? It's weird, but I'm suddenly friends with the school's top two pranksters. Do you remember that red-headed family who had stepped up to the Malfoys? The Twins in the back who are wand-crazy and wave the things around like they're about to go out of style? Yeah, those two. They've take an interest in me for some reason, but I'm not objecting to their friendship. It can definitely get lonely here with everyone already merged so tightly into their groups. They've been great so far. They're determined to meet you and Dad and Hailey. They want to prank Hailey, Mother. Please help me convince them that it is such a bad idea to cross her._

 _Harry's been acting really weird this year. He's been very angry and short with everyone, even the teachers, who definitely do not find it amusing. I don't want to say it's all stress, but I honestly feel like that's what a big portion of it is. Any ideas for what could possibly calm him down?_

 _I'm already looking forward to the Christmas holidays if this is how the year is going to go. Everyone is drowning in a sea of homework and I'm no exception. Do be patient if I can't write to you immediately. I promise to be faster with the next letter, though. December can't come fast enough._

 _Miss and Love You,_

 _Your Favorite Child_

I could only pray to whatever Gods existed that the signature I left would take some of Mom's ire away from me. It was a long-lasting joke between Hailey and I that one of us was the favorite child and Mom could never honestly pick between the two of us. We loved to tease her with it.

The Common Room burst into a roar of noise so unexpectedly that I nearly jumped right out of my armchair and into the fire along with my letter as the Quidditch team stomped their way in. Hermione cursed loudly when she accidentally smeared ink across her parchment, hurriedly repairing the damage. Others were clearly surprised as well, bemusedly watching Fred and George come charging into the middle of the room, whooping loudly and carting Ron around by his arms like he was luggage.

"Guess who made Gryffindor Keeper?!" They announced to the room at large, pulling their brother forward and presenting him. Ron blushed scarlet straight to the roots of his hair. "Ickie Ronniekins did!" Many people, me included, laughed at the nickname. Ron snarled and tackled his cackling brothers right to the ground.

"I'm surprised you picked him," I said to Angelina as she made to pass me. She paused. "Not that I've ever seen Ron fly, but I thought the lot this year showed a lot of promise."

Angelina pursed her lips, crossing her arms tightly. "He's not fabulous and he needs a lot of training," She grudgingly admitted. "He comes from a Quidditch-oriented family, so I'm hoping that his performance today was mainly from nerves and not lack of skill."

"The others?" I asked curiously. Angelina's expression tightened.

"They definitely flew better than Ron, but Hooper was a real whiner, always moaning and groaning about something or another. And Frobisher is involved in a lot of Societies and she point-blank told me that if Quidditch interfered with Charms Club, she'd choose that over practice any day." I winced. Yikes. Anyone who had the nerve to say _that_ to Angelina had some real balls. "Obviously I was going to pick the one that would be more dedicated."

Watching Ron wrestle on the floor with his brothers didn't seem to give her much hope, so I said in what I hoped was an encouraging voice, "I think he'll be fine. A little training won't kill him and I'm sure Harry would be willing to help him."

"I sure hope so," Angelina swore. "That's only if Potter stops landing himself in detention with Umbridge every week otherwise I'm going to have to find someone else to play Seeker." I couldn't defend Harry there since his temper would no doubt get him into a lot more trouble as the year went on, so I kept quiet and merely waved Angelina goodnight as she went upstairs to bed. She stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned back. "Walters."

"Yes?"

"I hadn't realized I was being short with you this week." I blinked, surprised. Angelina was apologizing? "Fred and George told me that my attitude was less than pleasant with you this week and I apologize if that's so. You're not even on the team and I'm snapping at you like you are." She had the shame to look a bit upset with herself. "It's stressful, suddenly managing all of this, and I'm afraid my temper got ahead of me. I'm starting to think that maybe I was a bit hard on Wood when he was here."

"It's...fine," I said slowly, still shocked. "I can understand that kind of stress." A weight seemed to lift off of Angelina's shoulders. She offered me a small smile that lit up her beautiful face and disappeared.

A fond smile crossed my lips as I wrung my hands in my lap. _Geez. Those two..._

"Hayden!" I blinked when the Twins were suddenly right there, breathing a strange, but not unwelcome mix, of peppermint and cinnamon in my face. Ron was still on the floor looking dazed as Hermione patiently helped him to his feet. "We're gonna go and get some butterbeers to celebrate Ronnie for getting the Keeper spot! Help us?"

"No," I said immediately. I wasn't having another repeat of the walk back up here. Fred and George wheedled, pleaded, and threatened me to join them for the better part of ten minutes before I got tired of it and shoved the two out of the portrait and told them to just hurry up and get the butterbeer before it gets too late.

The partying, if that's what it could accurately be called, lasted a long time. Hermione had actually ended up passing out in her chair with a butterbeer still held in her hand. I rushed to grab it before it slopped all over her front, putting her in a foul mood and ruining the happy atmosphere the Twins had effortlessly created. The portrait opened and Harry walked in, Ron assaulting him with the news and beaming brightly despite his drink spilling on his shirt. I wrinkled my nose.

"Not the cleanest, our brother," Fred commented, plopping down on the arm rest, sipping from his mug. George followed suit on the other side.

"Mum never could get cleanliness ingrained into him," George agreed. "He's never really cared enough."

"I don't understand how someone could not just care that they're having a sugary drink spill all down their front so casually," I said, unable to hide the disgust in my voice. My own mother would have the biggest of conniption fits before she threw me in a washer and washed me along with me shirt.

"We don't know either," George said sadly, shaking his head.

"Rest assured that we're nothing like that," Fred grinned, wrapping a long arm around my shoulders. "We're perfect gentlemen." I wasn't surprised at the second arm that wound its way across his brother's.

"You two are far from gentlemen."

"This argument again?" Fred asked, arching an eyebrow. I denied the drink George had offered me, shaking my head politely. I wasn't feeling getting hyped up on sugar so close to bed time for me.

"It's always gonna be the same old argument with you two troublemakers," I drawled. "Blown anything up this year yet?"

"Unfortunately not," Fred bemoaned.

"We've been quite busy with our Snackboxes," George said pointedly. It was then that I noticed the cluster of first years who all had nosebleeds, tissues stained bright red.

"Don't let Hermione catch you again," I warned, already looking for the bushy-haired girl. She was still by the portrait entrance, listening to something Harry was something with a very serious face. "She'll go through with her threat this time if you're not careful."

"No need to tell us twice," They said, simultaneously ruffling my hair and standing up. Fred clapped his hands excitedly. "Let's go, firsties! We got some more things we'd love for you to try out!"

"Don't hurt them, you two!" I called. Two of the boys reared back from the Twins in alarm, suddenly looking like this wasn't their best decision ever. It wasn't.

"We promise!" They hurried up to their own room with their trail of first years following them, albeit at a slower pace. I shook my head, perking at the sight of Finny, who looked very disgruntled from his position outside one of the windows. I let him in, earning a sharp nip for making him wait and placed the letter in his waiting talons, rolling my eyes as I did so. I cooed lowly to him and wished him a safe journey as he took off into the night.

* * *

The weekend was spent primarily indoors for me. It was getting breezy outside and I wasn't having it. I didn't tolerate the cold at all. I absolutely hated fall and winter time when the temperatures dropped and I was left shivering under layers upon layers on blankets. I spared no pity to the Quidditch players who had to go outside, not even to Fred and George, who for some reason thought it'd be okay to go outside in just their red and black uniforms with no jacket or scarves or hats on. I hated the two space heaters for being immune to the cold.

In a typical fashion, I spent all of Saturday afternoon playing catch up on the few assignments that I hadn't finished yet. I was at least pleased that they would be worth decent grades once I handed them in. Certainly not perfect, but at least Exceeds Expectations worthy. I wasn't looking for Outstandings in everything, but I was at least putting in a bit more effort this year than I normally would.

There were only three things that caught my attention all weekend and it wasn't because the Twins were demanding my attention every time we were together, though I greatly appreciated them working on the Summoning Charm with me that I was slowly getting under Terra's tutelage. She was a fantastic teacher even if she denied every bit of praise I gave her.

The first interesting thing was a Daily Prophet article. I hadn't been keeping up with the Prophet since cancelling my subscriptions with them over the summer, but a third year had been kind enough to relinquish their copy when I had asked nicely.

 **Trespass at Ministry**

 _Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31st August. Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watch-wizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused to speak in his own defense, was convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban._

The world was going insane if they thought breaking into a room in the Ministry of Magic was going to fly. It was almost like someone attempting to break into Gringotts. It just didn't happen.

The second thing was something I learned through a less than pleasant method, though snooping isn't really unpleasant according to my Mom. It was how you found things out when people weren't being honest with you or if you knew they were lying about something. I didn't like to call myself a nosy person, but by the Gods, Harry, Ron, and Hermione should've known better than to have what they dubbed a "secret meeting" down in the Common Room where anyone can just barge on in.

Sirius Black was Harry's Godfather. Sirius Black was Harry Potter's _bloody Goddamn Godfather._ I still couldn't completely wrap my mind around it, but it certainly wasn't impossible. If the Blacks were related to the Malfoys, what were the chances of them being related to the Potters in some way? The chances were very high apparently because I had found out that Harry had a bloody convict for a Godfather.

The final and most important interesting thing that happened this weekend was a confrontation that the entire student body had been waiting for with bated breath in the form of our stern, tall Transfiguration teacher and our pink monstrosity, toad of a Defense teacher, who did little to keep their conversation quiet during our Sunday breakfast and had drawn a crowd to watch their slow descent up the staircase.

"And what exactly are you insinuating?" Professor Umbridge asked indignantly.

"I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students, you conform to the _prescribed_ disciplinary practices." Both teachers halted on the same step, Umbridge having to tilt her head to continue to frown at McGonagall. Oooohhhh, boy. McGonagall finally found out about Umbridge's idea of discipline.

"So silly of me, but it _sounds_ as if you're questioning my authority in my own classroom, Minerva," She said, sounding falsely surprised. She took a step up, making her just barely taller than our Head of House.

"Not at all, _Dolores_ ," Her name was punctuated with a sharp step up, putting them back to square one, "merely your medieval methods!"

Umbridge gave a huff that could've been a word, but if it was, it was one that I didn't hear. "I am sorry, dear, but to question my practices is to question the Ministry and by extension, the _Minister_ himself." She sounded horrendously appalled by McGonagall's apparent nerve, lips pursed angrily and short form coiled. "I am a tolerant woman, but the one thing I _will not_ stand for is disloyalty."

 _You know nothing about disloyalty, you evil bitch._

McGonagall seemed to follow my train of thoughts, taking a step down in silent disbelief though her face never moved from its angry position. "Disloyalty?" She questioned softly, unable to believe what she had heard. Umbridge took another step up, facing the crowd of students. Our eyes connected and I did nothing to hide the dislike from my face.

"Things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared," She said loudly. "Cornelius will want to take _immediate_ action."

Something had to be done. Umbridge had to go, kicking and screaming or willingly. Whichever came first.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So something important came up tomorrow and I realized I wouldn't be able to update, so I busted ass and got half of this written out today, so I apologize in advance if there are mistakes. I promise to go back soon and fix all of them.

I am so excited for the upcoming chapters. More Fred and George and Hayden time. AKJHFISUBNDOAHBGNSKJBPIWUOIGIPUBSDGJBPIAPIUHSFDIGUND. Plus some hopeful ally development between her and someone else. :) Do tell who you guys think it is! I'd love to hear who you think I have planned for this role!

SHE KNOWS ABOUT SIRIUS. SHE KNOWS ABOUT SIRIUS. OH MY GOD.

 _Lots of hearts and appreciation to:_

 **Savage Kill:**

Hayden is very spiteful! Lord is she spiteful. OH BUDDY. OKAY BRACE YOURSELF FOR THIS CAUSE I'M GONNA BLOW YOUR MIND: I actually despise bacon, too. I hate the shit and do not regret not eating it.

I hope you like this chapter, toooooooo!

 **ElementalGirl1:**

Rashness is definitely in the future because Hayden is a girl and we girls can be quite careless when planning our revenge in some cases.

Fred and George make me _swoooooooooon. Oh my Goodness._

The food bit is actually something that is a regular thing with me personally in real life! I'm picky as Hell and have no shame in it, but that's not good cause I should. xD It's a comedic relief for me and the reactions I get from people when I tell them I absolutely DESPISE bacon and sausage and practically every meat ever never fails to kill me. xD

WE LITERALLY HAVE THE SAME THOUGHT PROCESS, I SWEAR. Though I don't think Potions wouldn't be TOO terrible. I'm not bad at cooking and it's kind of like cooking, ya know?

I really hope you like this chapter!

 **veronicamusica:**

Girl (I hope I'm not stereotyping your nickname and if I am, I am so sorry), I seriously hope you like this new chapter! I grinded this baby out within six hours today. xD

 _End of responses!_

 **Last chapter's response:** Definitely Potions or Defense. I love to cook and I love learning how to fight properly and not the girly cat-scratching bullshit a lot of girls do.

Question for this chapter: **What is your least favorite subject?**

Thanks so much for reading this, you guys! It means a lot! *Hearts* Reviews are gold to me and I appreciate anything given to me so long as it helps me grow as a writer! See you all next weekend!

~OQ


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. I wish I did cause Fred wouldn't have died and Snape would be living happily ever after with some one. I only own Hayden.

 **Author's Note:**

So, to get the angst out before the chapter starts, I hit a slump this week. A hard one and it's taken a toll, but I'm proud that this chapter isn't late. I would've been devastated if it was late.

On a happier note: I owe a lot to my best friend. Even though I can't work up the nerve to confide in her what's been going on and all of my depression issues, she knew something was off and took last night after she got off work to take me out of my apartment and go on a drive. We watched the stars for HOURS and just talked and talked and talked. I seriously do not deserve her.

I won't keep you waiting any longer! Please excuse any accidentals that occur in this chapter! I promise to fix them when I go back to reread it later on! Read on, lovely readers/reviewers/stalkers/ghosts!

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter S.I.X._

_"Secrets"_

 _"Everyone has at least one secret that would break your heart."_ -Unknown

* * *

Sunday was proving to be quite an eventful day. It was almost as eventful as yesterday and Friday, but today was definitely taking the cake. This morning it had been Umbridge versus McGonagall and this afternoon, it was now Gryffindor's resident Quidditch Captain against everyone who unfortunately got in her way.

Angelina was in a right fit the next time I saw her. A scowl had made itself at home on her face and I could honestly say that I missed her smiling and carefree face more than this new one at the moment. She breezed past me in a flurry of casual lounging robes befitting of a Pureblood and disappeared through the portrait. I lowered my wand, having spent the past half hour casting harmless Sparking Charms to entertain myself, watching the red and gold sparks crackle and blink rapidly before my eyes.

The Common Room was blissfully empty, everyone either lazing in their dormitories, out wandering the castle grounds, or most likely visiting friends in other Houses. The sole exceptions were Lee and I, though Lee was far more preoccupied than I was and had hardly said a word as he made himself comfortable on the rug in front of the fireplace and tried to focus on the parchment in front of him. Harry and Ron had made themselves comfortable at a table earlier to do homework, too, but lunch was in full swing right now, so I assumed they had left for the Great Hall for some food.

"What did Harry do this time to make Angelina look like someone had just called her the M-word?" I asked Lee, who was lounging on the floor idly doing an essay for one of his classes. He hummed, twirling his quill in his hands.

"Maybe it's because Katie is in the Hospital Wing," He said absently, not really paying any real attention to me.

I sat up straighter. "What?! What happened to her?" I could count on one hand the amount of times Katie and I had exchanged words in the past five years, but it never failed to alarm me when someone I knew was in the Hospital Wing for some reason or another. Lee blinked and looked up at me, surprised.

"Fred and George never told you?" Of course it had something to do with the Twins.

"I haven't really seen the Twins at all this weekend. Quidditch and homework kept us kind of busy."

"I guess that makes sense," Lee agreed, sitting up and crossing his legs. He absently cast a spell on his essay to make the ink dry faster before saying, "Alicia says that Katie took a Quaffle to the face courtesy of Ron and got a nasty bloody nose. Fred accidentally gave her one of his orange Blood Blisterpods, which made her nosebleed even _worse_ , instead of the purple one, which is the cure to a nosebleed, and almost made Katie topple right off her broom in the middle of practice due to blood loss."

I had to hold back the urge to swear violently at Fred and, by extension, George. Those idiots. Why either of them would ever carry their products in their Quidditch robes of all things is beyond me, but obviously they hadn't been thinking if Fred easily confused his own product with another one.

"Is Katie still in the Hospital?" I asked, getting to my feet and stretching. It had been a rather lazy day for me since I had thankfully completed all of my assignments yesterday and I was definitely paying the price for it. Every part of me was incredibly stiff and pulling uncomfortably.

"Madam Pomfrey kept her over night," Lee explained. "Katie lost a lot of blood and needed a night filled with Blood Replenishers before she could get back to her feet." Lee cocked his head. "Thinking about visiting her?"

"Just to take a peek," I confirmed. Lee waved me off as I left the Common Room, the portrait swinging shut gently behind me.

I had no real motive for honestly going to go visit Katie. I didn't really understand why I was even making the trip all the way down to the first floor for a girl I hardly knew. It wasn't me being a typical Gryffindor and rushing to see what happened to a fellow Housemate. I knew who could take care of themselves and who couldn't. Katie was definitely among the ones who could look out for herself. Maybe it was because I was bored out of my mind in the Common Room with an uncharacteristically silent Lee and needed something to do. Maybe it was because a part of me genuinely wanted to go look up on Katie.

 _Maybe a part of me was desperately hoping Fred and George were there with her so that I could have someone to talk to._

 _My heart lurched in my chest._

Either way, I was visiting Katie for reasons that I didn't even know.

I was passing the second corridor when I heard it.

"Come on, give it back!"

I paused mid-step, tilting my head towards the noise curiously. The voice had been very androgynous and it was one I wasn't familiar with. A younger student from another House maybe?

"What kind of book even is this?" I scowled at that voice. Ugh. He was such an asshole and was by far the only who represented our negative stereotypical Gryffindor aspects perfectly. Self-righteous, aggressive, and so arrogant, he made Malfoy look like an innocent angel.

 _Too bad that stunt he pulled with the Doxy eggs didn't keep him in the Hospital Wing longer._

I rounded the corner quietly and lo and behold, there he was, one hand pressed against the head of a small boy with blond hair and using his superior height to hold the book out of the boy's desperate reach as scrawny arms flailed this way and that.

"Please give it back!" The boy cried, struggling against the arm holding him in place. Something in me burned when I noticed stronger fingers curling around strands of hair, not really pulling, but no doubt still causing some sort of pain.

"McLaggen!" I snapped loudly, surprising the sixth year. The small boy's blue eyes turned to me and I saw them widen in terror at the same time I noticed the tie done sloppily around his neck. Green and silver with elegant stripes. A Slytherin and a first year from the looks of it, too.

"Ah, Hayden!" He smiled charmingly. I was hardly swayed by his so-called boyish charms, more focused on the watery eyes of the Slytherin boy. It didn't escape my notice that he was using my first name so familiarly, acting like we were the best of friends when I thought the exact opposite of the git. "Fancy meeting you down this corridor. What brings you here, love?"

"I am not your _love_ , McLaggen, and you'll refrain from calling me that in the future if you want to keep your knees straight," I said waspishly, irritated beyond what I should be. Something about the sixth year really rubbed me the wrong way. "Why do you have that book? I didn't know you could even read."

He took my jabs in stride, smile never faltering. I had no doubt he was probably thinking he was being slick with me and could move me to his perspective easily. "Our little slithery friend here has some interesting reading material here," He proclaimed proudly, keeping the book out of the boy's swiping hands and turning the cover to me.

 _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ by Quentin Trimble

I could hardly believe his idiocy and I had no shame in exploiting it to him. I didn't like anything Slytherin-related, but I didn't hated McLaggen more at the moment than the defenseless kid still in his grasp.

 _He was so small..._

"Are you stupid or something, McLaggen?" My insult had clearly caught him off guard for he recoiled and gaped at me speechlessly. I rolled my eyes and said sarcastically, "In case you don't remember, that's the book we used in Defense Against the Dark Arts during our first year. And this is clearly the second corridor, which just so happens to also have the Defense classroom located just down the hall." I arched an eyebrow mockingly, ignoring the suddenly hopeful look in the boy's eyes. It dug a dagger into my heart seeing such a look on a Slytherin. "Did you ever stop and think that maybe he was just coming back from seeing Umbridge about a question he had for his class?"

Never in my five years of being at Hogwarts had I ever expected to be getting a Slytherin out of trouble from someone of my own House, be it a first year or someone older, it didn't matter. There was too much bad blood, too many insults and hurled spells and prejudice that prevented us from ever stepping up for the other House if they were in a bind. But for some reason, this time was different. All of the Slytherins I've known didn't ask for help for they were too prideful and confident, but this boy was the exact opposite. I hated the desperate plea that was shining brightly in his eyes, silently begging me to help him.

McLaggen spluttered to answer me, face turning an ugly red when I only gave him a cool look. I held my hand out. "Give me that book and move on, McLaggen. You're only making a fool of yourself right now."

 _Just this once...I'll make an exception just this once...for this Slytherin boy who looks like he was Sorted into the wrong House._

McLaggen's lips pursed and his face seemed to darken into an ugly expression. I tensed at the shift, fingers itching to pull my wand out of my sleeve, but wary of firing a spell with the kid so close to him. My eyes widened with horror when smoke started to curl from the binding of the book, opening my mouth to shout something, but choked on the words when the book burst into flames right before my eyes. The boy made a strangled noise, horrorstruck. McLaggen dropped the book at my feet and gave me the slightest of sneers.

"There's your book." He released the boy and did nothing to stop his sudden forward momentum, walking past me as the boy collapsed to the floor harshly close to his burning book. A part of me snapped when there was loud popping noise and the boy emitted a strangled sob. Snarling, I swung around, wand sliding into my hand and fully prepared to hiss out a Leg-Locker Jinx on the prat, but the last thing I saw of him was the swishing of his robes disappearing around the corner.

"I'm going to wring his neck, that little bastard!" I growled, shoving my wand back up my sleeve as I crouched down beside the Slytherin boy, who was sniffling rather pitifully. I cringed at the way his shoulder seemed to jut out weirdly, recognizing it easily as being dislocated. I gently pulled him up to a sitting position, shifting to block his watery gaze from his ruined book. He met my gaze, hurt shining in his eyes. "What's your name?" I asked carefully, eyeballing his shoulder.

He sniffled. "E-Elliot P-Phillips. I'm a first year in Slytherin House." That last part was unnecessary information considering he was wearing his House colors on open display, but I didn't rebuke him.

"What were you doing down this corridor, Elliot?" My hands wavered over his shoulder, hesitating. I wasn't sure how to reset a dislocated shoulder and I wasn't comfortable using this scared first year as a first time experience, even if he was a part of my rival House.

 _I felt like he was different for some reason._

"Professor Umbridge wanted to t-talk to me," He stuttered nervously, using his other hand to wipe his face shakily. "I was going back to the dungeons when I ran into him." He pointed absently in McLaggen's direction, obviously not caring to use his name even though I had said it plenty of times in his presence. I didn't blame him. McLaggen hardly left an impression on either of us. "Why did he do that?" He asked suddenly, voice weak. "What did I do to him that made him burn my school book?"

 _You were put in the wrong House._

 _House prejudice goes far back for Purebloods and you're an unfortunate victim._

 _You were alone and new and_ weak.

"McLaggen's an ass," I said bluntly, ignoring those thoughts. Elliot obviously didn't understand what being in Slytherin meant to the school at large and I found that I wanted to shield him for just a bit longer from the pain that he would undoubtedly feel later this year and over the next six years. "He enjoys ruling over people like that. Ignore him." I heaved him to his feet, wincing when he gave a small cry of pain as his shoulder jostled. "Let's get you to Madam Pomfrey so she can fix your shoulder."

"Please," I froze as watery blue eyes met my green eyes. "Please, can you just take me to Professor Snape? I saw him help one of the second years once when he came to him with a broken nose. I'd rather go to him than Madam Pomfrey." I nodded. If the kid really wanted to go to his Head of House for help rather than the school nurse, then who was I to force him otherwise, Slytherin or not?

 _Madam would be so hurt to hear a student say that. She's one of the more neutral teachers here, but you don't seem to know that, kid. You'd rather go to one of the scariest teachers in the whole school than a woman who would consider you her child if you'd let her._

"Sure," I agreed slowly, frowning when his eyes passed over his still burning book. " _Aguamenti._ " A thin, controlled whip of water doused the flames on his book. I picked it up, already knowing that it was beyond salvageable. Elliot's eyes were wide and curious, no longer fully focusing on his book.

"That was a cool spell," He said, surprised. I blinked and he flushed. "Sorry," He apologized softly.

"No, you're fine," I assured him, gently patting his uninjured shoulder. "You'll eventually learn that spell. It's a Charm and type of Conjuration spell, so it's kind of difficult, but I learned it my third year alongside some others. It gets easier after a bit of practice."

His eyes lit up beautifully, shining and looking like twin pools of the sky. "Maybe Professor Flitwick can give me the steps to learning it."

"Don't be discouraged when he tells you to wait another couple years," I warned, my mouth moving without my consent. I hated how loose my mouth was around this curious, Slytherin kid. "That's what he originally told me when I first asked." His face dropped sadly, though he perked up when I added, "Though I've heard that there are books are on the Water-Making Spell in the Charms section in the Library. It's just a thought, though."

Elliot was smiling the whole way down to the dungeons and while seeing a Slytherin so openly smiling like he was, I couldn't bring myself to say something nasty to wipe it off his face. Elliot wasn't Malfoy from what I'd seen of him for the past fifteen minutes. I didn't know if there was a Phillips family among the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but it felt more right to think that Elliot was a Half-Blood. He wasn't carrying all of the signs of a rich upbringing and he wasn't radiating the vibes Malfoy did of a spoiled, pampered, rich brat.

Soon enough we were both outside Professor Snape's office. Hoping he was in, I knocked loudly on his door and nearly sagged when a voice from within snapped, "Enter!" I let Elliot go in first before following after him, leaving the door cracked. Professor Snape was sitting at his desk, quill in hand and a red ink bottle nearby. I cringed as he swiped a line through a sentence on someone's essay. Some poor idiot just lost quite a bit of points right there.

"Miss. Walters, Mr. Phillips, how can I help you?" He asked, not looking up. He sounded disinterested, like he could really care less what we were there for, but I knew the man cared for his students behind his grumpy and angry exterior. Well, I hoped he did, at least. When Elliot didn't speak after a moment, I stepped forward.

"Sir, Elliot said he'd rather see you for help than Madam Pomfrey." Snape looked up then and his eyes almost instantly locked onto Elliot's obviously dislocated shoulder. I barely covered Elliot's ears instinctively before a violent swear escaped Snape's mouth and couldn't find it in myself to be astounded at the Professor's language. Seeing one of his own hurt like this warranted the action, in my opinion.

"What happened?" Snape demanded, rounding his desk and crouching before the first year with his wand falling from his sleeve and into his hand.

"I fell, sir," Elliot said weakly, looking hesitant to tell the whole truth. The look Snape gave him could have melted metal and I gave him the answer he probably already knew to an extent.

"McLaggen did it, sir," I admitted, not even caring I was ratting out one of my own. Dark eyes flicked to me. "He was tormenting Elliot down the Defense corridor, burned his book, and pushed him down before leaving." Technically Elliot fell without McLaggen's hand supporting him, but that was beside the point.

"I see." Snape's voice was positively dangerous as he Charmed Elliot's outer robe off, leaving him in his buttoned-up shirt, House tie, and V-neck jumper. "I'll have to have a word with McGonagall then. Ten points to Gryffindor, Ms. Walters. I appreciate you looking out for Mr. Phillips like you did." He looked like he had swallowed something sour after saying that, looking highly uncomfortable. He accepted the destroyed book from my hands, barely glancing over it before tossing it into a nearby garbage can and promising Elliot to get him a new one.

I gave him a small bow, hating myself for thinking that if it had been anyone other than Elliot, I probably wouldn't have jumped in like I had even if my dislike of McLaggen stretched farther than the Quidditch field. "Thank you, sir." I left Elliot in Snape's more than capable hands, barely registering Elliot's goodbye in my head as I ran from the dungeons.

The points Snape had given me would mean nothing after the crippling loss Gryffindor would experience once McGonagall and Snape got their hands on McLaggen. I was pleased that Snape had actually given me the points regardless of knowing they wouldn't mean anything anyway later on, but it definitely opened my eyes a bit to the dark-haired Professor.

My original trip to the Hospital Wing was forgotten for the rest of the day.

* * *

"What rubbish is this?" I asked somewhat irritably as a Daily Prophet was shoved in my face and prevented me from eating my breakfast. I hadn't slept well last night before turning in early and my tolerance levels were not very high for anyone this morning. I dropped my grapes back onto my plate and snatched the paper out of the tan hand holding it. Terra took a seat and crossed both her arms and legs, looking displeased herself.

"Read that rubbish," She said shortly, watching me scowl at the picture of Umbridge, smiling widely and blinking slowly, on the front page.

"Ministry seeks Educational Reform. Dolores Umbridge appointed first-ever High Inquisitor," I read before sneering. Terra waved away whatever comment I was about to make and gestured for me to keep reading. I did so reluctantly.

 _In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

 _"_ _The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time," said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. "He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve."_

 _This is not the first time in recent weeks Fudge has used new laws to effect improvements at the Wizarding school. As recently as August 30th Educational Decree Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current Headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person._

 _"That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts," said Weasley last night. "Dumbledore couldn't find anyone, so the Minister put in Umbridge and of course, she's been an immediate success, totally revolutionizing the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts."_

 _It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalized with the passing of Educational Decree Twenty-three, which creates the new position of Hogwarts High Inquisitor._

 _"This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the "falling standards" at Hogwarts," said Weasley. "The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post, and we are delighted to say that she has accepted."_

 _The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts._

 _"I feel much easier in my mind now that I know that Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation," said Mr. Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. "Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and will be glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation."_

 _Among those "eccentric decisions" are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included hiring of werewolf Remus Lupin, half-Giant Rubeus Hagrid, and delusional ex-Auror "Mad-Eye" Moody._

 _Rumors abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is no longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts._

 _"I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step toward ensuring that Hogwarts has a Headmaster in whom we can all repose confidence," said a Ministry insider last night._

 _Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts._

 _"Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge's office," said Madam Marchbanks. "This is a further disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore." (For a fill account of Madam Marchbanks' alleged links to subversive goblin groups, turn to page 17)._

"This shit deserves to be burned," I cursed, crumbling the paper in my hands before realizing too late that it was originally Terra's. She didn't seem to care too much, watching me carefully cast a controlled Fire Spell and burning the paper wad with vindictive glee.

"Your inner pyro is showing," She commented. "Anyway, what do you think?"

I arched an eyebrow as I put out the flames, successfully Vanishing the leftover paper away. McGonagall would be so pleased. "I think we're gonna see some changes in staff before Christmas," I said honestly. "Umbridge will look for anything she can to get all of them replaced."

Terra hummed. "A good half will be okay, I think," She disagreed. She elaborated at my confused face. "Umbridge can't exactly sack a teacher who has a good success rate of students passing their finals. Take Sprout, for example. Her teaching methods are very effective as there is little confusion among the students during her lessons. Sprout has a high percentage of students passing her final test because of how good she is. Umbridge can't just get rid of her because of something silly as a student getting a Troll on her final."

"I wouldn't put it past her," I grumbled. I looked around the swarm of owls that were flooding the Great Hall for Finny's white-speckled body, but was disappointed when I didn't see him. I was really hoping to see him with Mother's letter this morning. I sighed and left breakfast for class with Terra and I parting ways at the first floor.

Umbridge was thankfully not in History of Magic this morning and nor was she in Double Potions, which was such luck for us because Snape was passing out our moonstone essays from last week and the results some people got were far from good. As I expected, a large, spiky black E was scrawled in the top corner. There were a few words that were circled and a short sentence that was lined out with its correction on the side, but other than that, I wasn't disappointed. Snape was a harsh grader and this was an achievement for anyone in his class.

"I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your O.W.L.," Snape said with a smirk as he swept among us and handed out the last essay. "This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in your examination."

Oh yeah. It gave me the confidence to think that I was going to do very well on his O.W.L.

"The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. I expect to see a great deal of more effort for this week's essay on this various varieties of venom antidotes, or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who got D's."

"Some people get _D's_? Ha!" Came Malfoy's carrying whisper as he sniggered to his friends. Snape smirked as instructions for a Strengthening Solution wrote itself out on the blackboard and he set us loose to begin working.

Lunch was spent with the Twins, as usual, Lee, and the Golden Trio. Or rather, specifically Hermione, who was in a mood for talking about O.W.L. grades. Harry and Ron looked like they'd rather be somewhere else than have this talk. I could only assume their essays weren't the greatest and that Snape had taken great delight in ripping it down as much as he could. I remembered him marking that essay yesterday with red ink and I wondered if it was Harry's or Ron's.

"So top grade's O for Outstanding," Hermione was saying, "and then there's A—"

"No, E," George corrected. "E for Exceeds Expectations." He nudged his brother playfully. "And here I've always thought Fred and I should've got E in everything because we exceeded expectations just by turning up for the exams." I laughed at that alongside the others, except Hermione, who looked not so amused.

"That was smooth, George," I praised, still giggling. He looked very pleased with himself. I turned to Hermione before she could plow on with her talk. "I'm not offending you or anything, Hermione, but how do you three not know our grading system here?" Harry and Hermione flushed, while Ron's ears turned scarlet with what I assumed to be anger or embarrassment.

"I don't suppose you know it all then, do you?" Ron snipped, but he was quickly rounded on by his brothers.

"Watch that tone, little brother," Fred said with slightly narrowed eyes.

"She meant no offense, so there's no reason to be so defensive," George teased, though his voice was just as hard as Fred's was.

I gave him a cool look that belied my irritation with the second youngest Weasley. His temper was almost as bad as Harry's lately. "If you read the syllabuses that some of the teachers even bothered to hand out at the beginning of the year, you'd know the system," I quipped smoothly, relishing the darkening red of his ears. "Since you obviously didn't, I'll explain it for you. You already know what O and E stand for. After that is A, which is Acceptable, P for Poor, D for Dread, and T for Troll in that exact order."

"Couldn't have said it any better," Lee said, nodding as he ate.

"Have you lot had an inspected lesson yet?" Fred asked, changing the topic. All four of us denied it. "We just now had one before lunch. In Charms."

"What's it like?" I asked as Hermione and Harry's mouths opened.

Fred shrugged, not looking too concerned. "Not that bad. Umbridge just kind of lurked in the corner making notes on a clipboard. You know what Flitwick's like, he treated her like a guest, didn't seem to bother him at all. She didn't say very much. Asked Alicia a couple of questions about what the classes are normally like, Alicia told her they were really good, and that was it."

The conversation I had this morning with Terra came back and I was only marginally surprised to how close to the mark she had been when she had explained her thoughts to me.

"Who've you got this afternoon?" George asked me.

I wrinkled my nose. "Trelawney—"

"A T if ever I saw one—" I pinched George's arm for interrupting me and he gave a startled jump in his seat, rubbing the abused skin petulantly.

"—and Umbridge last."

"Well, be a good boy and keep your temper with Umbridge today, Harry," Fred said. "Angelina will do her nut if you miss any more Quidditch practices."

We were still in full swing with the dream diaries in Divination, which weren't the biggest success with the students. I could already hear some people asking some friends for dream ideas behind me as I sat down at the little table that I shared with Lavender and Parvati, who were in deep discussion over last night's dreams. When Umbridge emerged from the trapdoor on the floor with a clipboard in hand as Trelawney was handing out _Dream Oracles_ , I knew this lesson was going to take a downwards spiral towards the first level of Hell.

"Good afternoon, Professor Trelawaney," Professor Umbridge said with an ugly wide smile. "You received my note, I trust? Giving the time and date of your inspection?"

Professor Trelawney nodded curtly and, looking very disgruntled, turned her back on Professor Umbridge and continued to give out books. Still smiling, Professor Umbridge grasped the back of the nearest armchair and pulled it to the front of the class so that it was a few inches behind Professor Trelawney's seat. She then sat down, placed her clipboard on her lap, and looked up expectantly, waiting for the class to begin.

Professor Trelawney pulled her shawls tight about her with slightly trembling hands and surveyed the class through her hugely magnified lenses. "We shall be continuing our study of prophetic dreams today," She said in a brave attempt at her usual mystic tones, though her voice shook slightly. "Divide into pairs, please, and interpret each other's latest nighttime visions with the aid of the _Oracle._ "

She made as though to sweep back to her seat, saw Professor Umbridge sitting right beside it, and immediately veered left towards our table as Parvati and Lavender looked towards me with smiles on their faces.

"What'd you dream last night, Hayden?" Lavender asked as Professor Trelawney denied the armchair Parvati had eagerly offered her with a strained smile.

I latched onto the most common dream I've always been dreaming of over the past couple years, seeing as how I didn't really sleep last night. "A lake," I said. "A foggy lake with mist that steamed up from crystal waters that showed nothing but the sand at the bottom."

Parvati made an appreciative noise. "That sounds beautiful," She said wistfully. Lavender made an agreeing noise. "What do you think it means?"

"I'm not sure," I said, distracted. Professor Umbridge was now hovering over Professor Trelawney's shoulder, scribbling on her clipboard. Our eyes connected. "It's not a lake I've ever been to, but it feels very familiar. It might belong to one of the lakehouses my Mother no doubt owns, but I'd need to ask."

"Your Mother owns lakehouses?" Parvati asked excitedly, straying off topic. Professor Umbridge's pen scribbled just a bit faster across her clipboard and I knew something wrong was said just now. Trelawney was losing a battle by the minute.

"A couple," I said vaguely, uncomfortable with her prying. It was common knowledge among the Lions that I was a Muggleborn, but I didn't enjoy talking about my _normal_ parents with my _wizard_ House mates. There was a tapping noise and we all looked to Professor Umbridge, who had just finished making a note and was looking quite put out.

"Now," She said, looking to the taller Divination Professor, "you've been in this post how long, exactly?"

Professor Trelawney scowled at her, arms crossed and shoulders hunched as though wishing to protect herself as much as possible from the indignity of the inspection. After a slight pause in which she seemed to decide that the question wasn't so offensive that she could reasonably ignore it, she said in a deeply resentful tone, "Nearly sixteen years."

"Quite a period," Umbridge commented, making a note. "So it was Professor Dumbledore who appointed you?"

"That's right," Trelawney said shortly.

"And you are the great-great-granddaughter of the celebrated Seer Cassandra Trelawney?"

"Yes," Trelawney said, holding her head a little higher. Another note on the clipboard.

"But I think—correct me in I am mistaken—that you are in the first in your family since Cassandra to be possessed of second sight?"

"These things often skip—er—three generations," said Professor Trelawney, looking even more uncomfortable.

Professor Umbridge's toadlike smile widened.

"Of course," She said sweetly, adding on yet another note. "Well, if you could just predict something then?" She looked up inquiringly, still smiling. Professor Trelawney had stiffened as though unable to believe her ears.

"I don't understand you," She said, clutching convulsively at the shawl around her scrawny neck.

"I'd like you to make a prediction for me," Umbridge said very clearly. I exchanged surprised looks with Lavender and Parvati. Most of the class was staring transfixed at Professor Trelawney as she drew herself up to her full height, beads and bangles clinking.

"The Inner Eye does not See upon command!" She said in a scandalized tone.

"I see," Umbridge said softly, pen flying across her clipboard.

Trelawney hurried to correct herself, struggling to use the mysterious voice she had used when we all had first met her. "I—but—but... _wait_!" Professor Trelawney cried suddenly in an attempt to use her ethereal voice, though the mystical effect was ruined by the way it was shaking with anger. "I...I think I _do_ see something...something that concerns _you_...why, I sense something...something dark...some grave peril..."

Professor Trelawney pointed a sharking finger at Professor Umbridge, who continued to smile blandly at her, eyebrows raised. "I am afraid...I am afraid that you are in grave danger!" She finished dramatically.

There was a pause as Professor Umbridge surveyed Professor Trelawney.

"Right," She said softly, scribbling some more. "Well, if that's the best you can do..."

Professor Trelawney's grave was no officially dug and just waiting for the eccentric woman to just walk right into it.

* * *

"What is wrong with Potter and his mouth?" Terra asked lowly as she spooned soup into her mouth. We hadn't even gotten halfway through Defense before Harry had shot his mouth off once again and landed another detention with the toad.

"He's stressed," I defended gently. "He's having a hard time right now with all the controversies and shit that's going around and everyone being so against him and Dumbledore."

"He can be stressed as much as he wants. He's—" Her words faltered at the unexpected arrival of Finny, who had landed beside her. Her hand was already rubbing his head before I even reached for the letter tied to Finny's leg. I grinned at Mother's loopy handwriting on the front.

"Thank you, Finny," I thanked, offering him some random meat from a plate nearby. He readily accepted, hooting as I cut upon the envelope and pulled my Mom's letter out.

 _My Dear Oldest,_

 _I won't_ ream _you, as you so eloquently put it. Rather I will just say to be prepared once you come home for the Christmas holidays._

 _All of us having been well, thank you for asking! Ezra has been very busy at work. They've been keeping him over often lately, though. Something about some machines and NCR's needing to be signed and approved. I stopped listening when he went into full-blown Manager mode on me. I'm currently on a paid vacation, though I am ready to be back at work. It's quite boring here with nothing to do other than cleaning. Your sister has been the usual Drama Queen, though I'd be surprised if you expected anything less. Echo is fine, dear. Still the same grumpy and moody thing that she is and hisses and yowls at your sister every time she comes near._

 _Don't get behind, darling! I know I don't need to remind you of what happened the last time you got behind in your studies back in your third year. I know you'll be fine this year. You'll go great._

 _My, hearing my own daughter say Sheytana will never fail to make me laugh! I'll have to sit you down and share some of my travels with you. You'll understand how I picked up that word after I tell you of my little adventure in Cairo all those years ago before you were born. I hope to never meet this woman. I don't know if you're Father will be able to get me out of jail for attempted homicide._

 _Top pranksters, you say? Don't you go picking up any ideas, young lady. Your Father and I can only take so many new pranks in a year. As for your sister, I think she'll be fine. She needs to expand and control that temper of hers. Not that yours is any better, but she's still young and impressionable. I think these two boys will be good for her. Do try and see if they can come over for the holidays in December! I'd love to meet them!_

 _Nothing new has happened recently other than work for your Father and school for Hailey. Though there was an incident with Echo after she accidentally dumped_ ketchup _of all things on my WHITE floors. God, your sister was so frightened of me. I felt so bad._

 _Hmmm...personally, I'd recommend incenses! My travels in Denmark and Germany introduced me to the wonders of Aromatherapy and I must say that it does absolute wonders for me. If you'd like to send Finny back, I can send you a little bit of some of the incenses that I use on a daily basis in the house that could possibly work on your friend. If it doesn't work, let me know! I have many other methods other than Aromatherapy._

 _We are excited for you to come back home, dear. We miss you very much every time you get on the train to school. We are all eagerly looking forward to Christmas, even your sister. I anticipate your next letter whenever that may be._

 _Much Love,_

 _Mother Dearest_

I sighed, folding up Mom's letter. "Can I borrow some paper and your quill for a second?" I asked Terra, inclining my head towards her open notebook and quill. She readily gave it to me, too engrossed with loving on Finny, who was enjoying the attention greatly. I was about to start writing when I paused before a wicked grin slowly formed on my lips. Terra froze.

"Why are you smiling like that?" She asked cautiously, though her eyes were very curious.

"I have an idea," I said slowly, ideas rapidly going through my head and being discarded when I knew they wouldn't work. "A prank idea." Ooohhhhhhh Lord. The Twins would have fits when I told them. When I wasn't drowning in homework or in classes, ways to get back at Umbridge were constantly swimming through my mind, but nothing seemed to be big enough. My Mother, though...she just gave me the _best_ idea I had ever though of.

Terra arched an eyebrow, interested. "Oh? Do tell."

My grin turned sinister. "I've gotta run it by Fred and George first, but I'm positive they'll be all for it." I leaned towards her, eyes glinting. "You don't own any white clothes do you? I'd get rid of them soon if you do."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

THIS PRANK IDEA WAS SOMETHING I ACCIDENTALLY CAME ACROSS A COUPLE DAYS AND I CRIED MYSELF LAUGHING FOR ALMOST AN HOUR BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP WATCHING IT, OH MY GOODNESS. *Cries laughing* I sincerely hope it doesn't disappoint. It's one of the greatest things I've ever seen in so long. If any of you want a GOOD laugh, look up Ben Phillips Pranking Elliot on YouTube. He makes me SCREAM LAUGH every time. xD

 _Lots of hearts and appreciation to:_

 **Savage Kill:** I absolutely HATE bacon. I've never liked it as a kid and I don't like it now as 20 year old. xD

I'm the pickiest child out of my whole family. If I made up a list of all the foods I don't like, I could cover the front and back. You would be APPALLED by everything that I don't like. I'm frequently told I'm not American because of everything that I don't like.

 **Aussieshipwhore:** Awwww, thank you! I hope you continue to like it in future chapters!

 **ElementalGirl1:** Oh, I didn't mean that seriously! Please forgive me. I have a...uh, warped sense of humor. It's a bit of a joke between my best friend and I. The girls at my school jump with their fists before they think. xD They weren't the smartest bunch.

I'm soooooo glad Terra is being accepted like she is. She plays an important role later in the Half-Blood Prince and the Deathly Hallows. Her role in this book is kind of secretish, so you'll have to read what's underneath to see what her role is. I'm so sad that there was little time for the Twins and Hayden time in this chapter, but I definitely promise to make up for it next chapter.

I would HATE Divination. I'd be in Care of Magical Creatures before Harry could say "Quidditch".

Thank you very much! It's taken me a long time to get to this point in my writing, but even then, I'm struggling to make it better. I feel like it's missing something, but I haven't discovered it yet.

 **veronicamusica:** PHEW. THANK GOD. I cannot WAIT for this relationship to get rolling some more. Some seeds have been planted and I'm bouncing my seat just over that. xD

Potions seems to be common from what I've heard so far! Though Herbology is definitely a first. Is it because of how hands on it is? I'm more of a do as I go kind of learner, so I'd struggle in anything that was like Divination.

 **Mad Cheshire Rabbit:** I PROMISE ALL OF THE FLUFF. I PROMISE THIS SO MUCH. I love the little fluff going on already. Have no fear! IT SHALL BE EXPANDED ON. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you too much with the little Twins/Hayden time. *Sad Face* It will be made up for in the next chapter!

 **Alessandra.12:** Thank you so much! I'm glad you like Hayden! She makes me so happy to write and I love working through her personality in each chapter. *Hearts* It makes me ever so happy.

 _End of Responses!_

 **Last chapter's response:** Divination. Hands fucking down. That shit can't be forced on me even if it would save my life.

Question for this chapter: **Favorite Harry Potter character?**

I'll see you all in the next chapter! I'll see you next weekend. *Hearts* Thank you very much for reading! And thank you ALL for the WONDERFUL reviews. They fuel my drive to write this story. *More hearts*

~OQ


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I no own J. K. Rowling's masterpiece.

 **Author's Note:**

HAPPY FREAKING TURKEY DAY, EVERYONE. Do enjoy stuffing your faces all of this weekend for me since I'm not a huge turkey lover and really only show up for the Hawaiian Rolls. xD Safe travels to those leaving their homes to go visit family and to those who are traveling across the states! Traffic will be a bitch. You have been forewarned.

Anyways! On to the chapter! Read on, lovelies.

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter S.E.V.E.N_

_"Plans"_

 _"He who walks out of step hears another's drum." -_ Ken Kesey

* * *

It came as no surprise to me when Angelina caused the biggest spectacle Tuesday morning at breakfast after finding out Harry had once again landed another detention with our favorite Defense Professor. McGonagall had never swept from the staff table as fast as she did then. We lost ten points between Harry and Angelina with McGonagall threatening to take the title of Captain away from Angelina if she couldn't control herself.

Terra was holding in her laughter so hard that her face was beginning to turn strawberry red. I didn't see what was so funny to the blond, but I stopped myself from asking her. Angelina was going to need a lot more self control and patience for this year if she didn't want to lose her spot on the team before the holidays came around.

Harry literally could not control himself whenever he was in Umbridge's presence. The cuts on the back of his hand were perpetually bleeding at this point and were causing him some obviously serious pain. After finding the recipe for Murtlap Essence, I copied it on a piece of parchment, slipped it to Hermione, and left it up the brilliant witch to tend to one of her best friends.

Umbridge continued to stalk our classes regularly with her trusty clipboard and false smile. She seemed especially fond of being in all the classes Harry was in, which is nice for me since I only had a few classes to share with him at the beginning of the week before we branched off. I hadn't seen her in Arithmancy or Potions yet, but I considered that a relief. So far, it seemed only Trelawney was in some sort of sinking boat right now. I silently hoped she would be the only one with her job being threatened.

She was finally put in her place when she came to evaluate McGonagall's fifth year Transfiguration class Tuesday morning.

I noticed her the second I walked through the door, sitting in the corner with her ankles crossed primly and smiling at the students who made eye contact. I made sure to avoid looking in her general direction whenever she looked my way as I took my spot at the back of the room.

"Excellent," Ron whispered as he and Harry sat down in front of me. "Let's see Umbridge get what she deserves."

I suppressed a smirk.

Professor McGonagall marched into the room without giving the slightest indication that she knew Professor Umbridge was there.

"That will do," She said and silence fell immediately. "Mr. Finnigan, kindly come here and hand back the homework—Miss. Brown, please take this box of mice—don't be silly, girl, they won't hurt you—and hand one to each student—"

" _Hem, hem,_ " Professor Umbridge said delicately, using that annoying, silly little cough she had used her first night here to interrupt Professor Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall ignored her. Seamus handed me my essay and I frowned at the sharp A at the top. It was still technically a good grade, but it was only one letter grade from a T and I didn't like how close it was.

"Right then, everyone, listen closely—Dean Thomas, if you do that to the mouse again, I shall put you in detention—most of you have now successfully Vanished your snails and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have the gist of the spell. Today we shall be—"

" _Hem, hem._ " I refrained from glaring in the woman's direction.

" _Yes_?" Professor McGonagall asked, turning around with her eyebrows so close together, they seemed to form one long, severe line.

"I was just wondering, Professor, whether you received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspec—"

"Obviously I received it," McGonagall interrupted, "or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom." She turned her back firmly on Professor Umbridge. Many of us exchanged looks of glee and I snickered lightly. "As I was saying, today we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult Vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell—"

" _Hem, hem_." I was going to murder this woman in her sleep.

"I wonder," Professor McGonagall said in cold fury, turning on the woman, "how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking."

Professor Umbridge looked as though she had just been slapped in the face. She did not speak, but straightened the parchment on her clipboard and began scribbling furiously. Looking supremely unconcerned, Professor McGonagall addressed us once more.

"As I was saying, the Vanishing Spell becomes more difficult with the complexity of the animal to be Vanished. The snail, as an invertebrate, does not present much of a challenge; the mouse, as a mammal, offers a much greater one. This is not, therefore, magic you can accomplish with your mind before dinner. So, you know the incantation, let me see what you can do."

Umbridge did not follow Professor McGonagall around the class as she had followed Professor Trelawney; perhaps she thought that Professor McGonagall would not permit it, which was something I could definitely see the stern-faced woman not tolerating from anyone. She did, however, take many more notes while she sat in her corner, and when Professor McGonagall finally told us to pack away, rose with a grim expression on her face.

I ran into Peeves on my way up to Arithmancy after the disaster in Transfiguration. He was being his typical self, weaving between the suits of armor and forcing the arms to jut out in front of students with the hopes that they'll run into the metal. Many of them unfortunately did, completely unprepared for the surprise attack. They all left with bruised foreheads and nasty words for Peeves, who took it all in with wicked delight and a pleased smile.

"Be careful how badly you hurt the students, Peeves," I said warningly after he nailed a Hufflepuff girl hard enough to knock her to the ground. I helped the girl up, who thanked me with a teary nod before running off down the hall. "The Professors will only tolerate so much complaining from the Prefects before they come for you."

"Oh, I hope they do," Peeves said, delighted as he left a disgruntled suit of armor that half-heartedly swiped at him. He didn't even blink when the hand went straight through his side. "It's been dreadfully boring lately. Me thinks the baby firsties and grumpy teachers could use some surprises right now." He gave a lazy wave of his hand and zoomed down the opposite way I had come, pulling suspicious black pellets out of his pocket.

 _They'll definitely be getting some surprises soon, that's for sure._

I hadn't waited to send Finny back out with a letter to Mom requesting some of the things I required. I hated throwing Finny on an errand without him having a chance to rest, but he hadn't protested when I tied another letter to his leg and immediately took off for home. I could only hope Mom wouldn't raise an eyebrow at the few things I had asked her to send back, merely transferring the items to Finny and sending him back without too much of a fuss. I briefly regretted not sending him to Hailey instead. At least with her, I knew she wouldn't question my motives and would follow my instructions without hesitation.

I sighed and broke out into a jog to get to Arithmancy on time. Too late to regret that decision.

* * *

Mom's letter came back that weekend with a very firm warning for me not to get caught with whatever prank I was planning and to take care. Finny was practically panting with exertion when he hailed me down in the Great Hall with a brown bag clutched tightly in his talons, feathered chest heaving just a bit and round eyes half-lidded tiredly. I winced in pain for him, feeding him some leftovers to give him the energy to get to Owlery, and banished him so that he could sleep and rest for the next couple days.

Before I knew it, a couple weeks had passed by since with me being completely absorbed in my idea, living through my classes and doing my assignments before going back to the drawing board. I had yet to pull aside the Twins, wanting to work out all of the small kinks before confronting them. My only real problem would be convincing the House Elves, but I figured Lettie loved me enough to help convince the other House Elves that this was a wonderful idea and should be executed. I could do everything else myself.

Finally, during the final week of September and before the first Hogsmeade visit in October, I was ready.

History of Magic wasn't a big worry for me, so I had no qualms missing my first class to lay claim to an unused classroom and wait for the Twins to appear before they went to Herbology. They rounded a corner fifteen minutes later, heads bent together and holding something in both their hands. Drawing my wand, I peered out through the door, looking this way and that for errant students before firmly pointing my wand at their backs.

There was probably a better way to go about getting the two alone, but frankly, this was the easiest way instead of tracking them down and looking for somewhere private without anyone eavesdropping.

" _Accio Weasley Twins_." They both gave a lurch backwards and released startled shouts.

"Woah!"

"What the—"

" _Silencio_!" I quickly quieted their loud voices, closing the door behind me once they were inside. They both relaxed upon seeing me, both their mouths moving a mile a minute before realizing no words were coming out. They scowled and raised their eyebrows pointedly. I rolled my eyes and released the spell.

"You were being too loud," I cut them off before they could speak. "The whole castle would've heard you two screaming and cursing if I hadn't done that."

"There were definitely better ways to silence us than that," Fred sniffed in a mock offended tone. My face reddened and I purged the images that had jumped to the forefront of my mind. Now was so not the time for the hormones to be making their grand appearances.

 _Damn my sister and her dirty mind influencing me like this._

"What's that?" I asked, indicating Fred's closed fist. He hastily stuffed it back into his pocket.

"A product," He said vaguely, smirking as I scowled at him.

"So what can we do for you today, Hayden dear?" George asked, elbowing his brother in the stomach. I mentally beamed at the nickname, but kept my face carefully neutral. I wasn't going to let the Twins know I was growing fond of the nickname only they ever called me. They'd abuse the privilege on a daily basis if they knew.

My mask cracked as I gave a wicked smile. Fred and George perked at the look, leaning forward with curious blue eyes and eager expressions. "I swore to include you guys on what I was planning back in the first week of classes," I said, face practically splitting when their faces lit with realization. "Well, I finally have something firmly in mind."

"Oh?" George asked.

"Do tell," Fred goaded.

So I told them my small prank, throwing out every single detail and thought I had given to the idea. I was not by far a lazy person, but I wasn't always putting in the effort that was needed to stay ahead. That was mainly by choice. I was smart enough to get by with being lazy since I still got good marks while I was being lazy. It was a totally different story once something motivated me enough to get me moving. Mom once told me that I was a force to be reckoned with when I really put my mind to something.

That comment never failed to bring a pleased smirk to my face. It made my stomach warm every single time.

 _This may be one of my better ideas by far._

George straightened himself, whistling appreciatively. "I'm surprised," He admitted. I cocked my head in confusion, frowning. "We've never actually seen you prank anyone before. We didn't even know you liked pranking!"

"We just thought you got a sick pleasure of turning Malfoy's knees backwards," Fred said, chuckling. I recoiled, gaping.

"I'm not a Masochist, you two! Malfoy deserved all those Jinxes anyway!" I would freely admit from the safety of my mind, though, that I _had_ jinxed Malfoy without him having said the M-word, but I had never done it without reason. If it wasn't because of his name calling, it was either his bullying methods or his rude ass attitude to anyone who wasn't a Slytherin.

"That's beside the point," George brushed off my comment easily. "Your idea is..." He paused and looked to his brother for the right words. My heart seemed to freeze in my chest and breathing was suddenly difficult. Did they not...?

"You don't like it?" I asked quietly, unable to hide the disappointment in my voice. My face blushed against my will and I willed my hands not to come up to feel my cheeks to see how hot they were. I didn't care if they don't like my idea. It was my idea. I didn't need their approval.

 _But I really really_ really _want them to like it before I even think about initiating it._

"It's not a bad idea at all," Fred assured quickly, hands reaching up to pat my cheeks. It didn't escape my notice that they stayed there and I tensed just slightly in his hold. My breath came back quicker and I had to firm my lips to keep any wisps of air from slipping out of my mouth and into his face. God, I was so happy to be a religious believer in brushing my teeth three times a day. And that my teeth were blissfully straight. Thank Merlin for braces at a young age and a little magic to even out the little bit of crookedness that remained.

"It's just obvious that you come from a Muggle family," George said. It wasn't an insult and he looked happy that I didn't take it as one. His hands covered his brother's, his fingertips grazing the edges of my eyes. He better not smudge my eyeliner. I wasn't a professional, but I was super proud of my consistently perfect winged eyeliner. Not even George would escape my wrath if he ruined that success.

"How so?" I asked curiously.

"Some of the stuff you want to use," He said simply. He arched an eyebrow. "The condiments, mainly."

"It's a nice blend of Muggle and Magic," Fred added appreciatively. "It'll be difficult for the teachers to pinpoint whose idea it was since there are more Half-Bloods and Muggleborns than Purebloods who are exposed to the Muggle world."

I smirked. My lips tingled when they brushed against both of their fingers. _What the Hell is going on with me?_ "McGonagall and Snape will definitely know it's me. Both of them have seen how I prank. They'll know who to blame."

"Considering your idea is aimed at the toad, I don't see them ratting you out," Fred said thoughtfully. His fingers absently rubbed against my cheeks and I felt my skin _burn_. He grinned at my face, amused by how red it was. Cheeky God damn bastard.

"Who said I was just aiming to get Umbridge?" I asked, trying to distract myself from his fingers. They hadn't stopped moving. George's fingers were copying his brother's, though they were mainly weaving through the baby hairs that littered the side of my head. "I'm not telling you," I said sharply. Fred pouted and didn't push. George chuckled.

"Have you heard the latest scheme from Harry and his group?" He asked.

"No. Am I supposed to?"

"It's kind of important," George admitted. "Hermione asked us to meet up at the Hog's Head during the first Hogsmeade weekend. Says Harry wants to talk to us."

I was sort of suspicious. "What for?" I didn't like the gleam that suddenly lit up in their eyes and slowly forced them to release my face.

"They want to start a Defense group," They both purred, voices shaking with excitement.

 _A Defense group?_ They couldn't be serious.

"You're joking."

"Not this time," Fred said cheekily. He dodged the swipe aimed for his arm. "No, but we're actually being serious this time."

"We're going," George said. "Lee's coming, too. You should join us."

I hesitated. "I don't know, you two," I said, unsure. Mentally, I was rejoicing at this idea. It was a good idea. We would be able to practice spells and catch up on all the lost time Umbridge had taken us. We'd actually be ready for our O.W.L.'s and not go in with just the theory knowledge to back us up and make complete asses of ourselves in front of the proctors.

But I knew Harry's luck. He had the shittiest luck out of anyone that I knew. This would backfire on us and I just _knew_ we'd get in a heap of trouble if the wrong person blabbed or we were caught by Umbridge, who was firmly against us using any form of magic.

"Don't be a chicken," Fred teased. "We're not doing anything illegal."

"We're perfectly in our rights to form a new club," George agreed. "We've just got to ask McGonagall, get the okay, and boom. We're golden."

Famous last words, you two.

* * *

"You two are the reason Filch is going to maim us alive when we get back to the castle," I hissed, watching the Twins and Lee scavenge around the shelves.

It was a cold, windy day. Fall was in full swing as wind whipped this way and that, flicking our hair into our eyes and stinging our cheeks raw with the cold. Lavender had woken me up early this morning due to the Twins causing a ruckus and demanding that I get up to leave for the village. Least to say, after bundling up in a pair of casual black leggings, a white thermal, and a zip-up jacket Dad had gotten me for my birthday, I wasn't in the best of moods.

Add on Filch excessively searching our person, the cold piercing straight through my skin, and me being denied any form of caffeine, I was ready to commit some form of homicide. There was always a first time for everything and I could care less if I got sent to Muggle jail or Azkaban if it meant I could go back to bed. I was secretly voting for the Muggle jail, though. I hated Dementors and wanted nothing to do with the vile creatures.

 _Though why the Twins wanted to go to Zonko's of all places this early in the morning is a bit much. It's too early to be thinking about pranking someone. And it's too cold._

Merlin almighty, I absolutely detested the cold.

"You worry too much," Lee said distractedly. "We've been doing this since third year. We're pros getting this stuff past Filch by now." I grumbled under my breath moodily as I trudged after the three boys to the check out counter. I really didn't want to go back outside to the cold wind, but I really didn't want to stay in Zonko's for the rest of the year either.

"Where are we having this meeting?" I asked, shivering instantly the second we walked out of the joke shop. Today sucked purely because of the cold. In the distance, I could make out multiple forms clumped together.

"Hermione said the Hog's Head," Fred informed. He and George had taken point on either side of me while Lee stood on George's other side.

"That bar is so suspicious," I mumbled, distracted. It irritated me that Fred and George were walking around in simple jackets with cotton on the inside and jeans—stupid Merlin damned space heaters—but being between them like I was, their body heat was soaking through the arms of my jacket and sides. It felt magnificent. I grasped both of their sleeves and tugged them closer so that they were just barely pressed against me.

"Are you cold?" Fred asked, surprised.

"I'm _freezing_ ," I complained lowly, sighing as I felt marginally warmer with them closer. "I hate feeling this cold. It's why I rarely leave the castle once the fall and winter roll around."

"This isn't so bad, though," Lee exclaimed, looking around George. "It's over sixty degrees right now!"

"That's cold to me, Jordan!" I snarled at him, narrowing my eyes. "Anything under seventy degrees is too cold!" I paused when something wrapped itself around my neck, covering my mouth and nose. George looked deeply concentrated as he tightened a scarf around my neck firmly and grinning when I only looked up at him in confusion.

"This way you'll at least get a little bit warmer," He said, winking at me. I flushed and quietly adjusted the scarf, mumbling a thank you into the warm fabric. It smelled vaguely of what I assumed to be gunpowder and something sweet. Sugar? It was a weird combination, but it was oddly a very pleasant smell.

The Hog's Head was nothing at all like the Three Broomsticks, whose large bar gave an impression of gleaming warmth and cleanliness. The Hog's Head bar comprised of one small, dingy, and very dirty room that smelled strongly of something that might have been goats. The bay windows were so encrusted with grime that very little daylight could permeate the room, which was lit instead with the stubs of candles sitting on rough wooden tables. The floor seemed at first glance to be earthy, though as we stepped onto it, I realized that there was stone beneath what seemed to be the accumulated filth of centuries.

And there standing in the center of the room was a large crowd of students who were whispering amongst themselves and casting wary eyes around. To my great pleasure, Terra was among them, standing alone with crossed arms and silver knitted hat drawn low over her forehead that gave her eyes an almost hooded appearance.

"This place is disgusting." None of the three boys disagreed with me. Our entrance caused a few heads to turn in our direction. Fred casually walked up to the bar where the barman had frozen in the act of wiping out a glass with a rag so filthy it looked as though it had never been washed. That just set the deal that I wouldn't be drinking anything from this establishment ever.

"Hi," Fred greeted, counting his companions and skipping over me when I gave him a glare filled with death if he ordered me something. "Could we have...twenty-five butterbeers, please?"

His order was given a glare from the bartender, who threw down his rag irritably and started passing up dusty butterbeers from under the bar. I could only watch as Fred thanked the grumpy man and forced everyone to cough up their share of gold for the drinks. Inbetween the moving students, I noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting together against the wall. Harry looked vaguely sick and Hermione was whispering quietly to him.

I left the Twins and Lee, making a beeline for the blond, who had finally noticed me. "I'm glad I know someone here," She murmured quietly, casting irritated glances at everyone. "I'm not a speaking terms with a lot of these people."

"I'm relieved Hermione thought to invite you," I admitted. It pleased me that the bushy-haired girl had thought to invite the Ravenclaw even though they had hardly spoken a word to each other.

Terra shrugged. "She only invited me because I overheard her talking to Luna and Padma about it. Besides, I feel like this will benefit me more than Umbridge's class even though I'm pretty comfortable with how I stand on defensive spells."

Once all of the drinks were handed out and everyone had found a seat, the chatter died down. I took my spot between the Twins while Terra planted herself beside Padma and Luna. All of our eyes were upon Harry.

Hermione slowly got to her feet, hands clasped firmly in front of her. "Umm...Hi." Her voice was higher-pitched than normal. "So, you all know why we're here. We need a teacher." She stopped and corrected herself. "A proper teacher. One who's had experience defending themselves against the Dark Arts. Well, I thought it would be a good idea if we, well, took matters into our own hands" She paused, looked sideways at Harry, and went on, "And by that, I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but the real spells—"

"You want to pass you Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. too though, I bet?" Asked Michael Corner, who was watching her closely. I snorted.

"Of course she does. This year is critical for us," I reminded him, unable to keep the sarcasm from my voice. "You'd have to be stupid to not take this year seriously."

Hermione gave a weak cough, drawing the attention back to her. "I want more that that, I want to be properly trained in Defense because...because..." She struggled and took a deep breath. "Because Lord Voldemort's back."

The name evoked many reactions. Cho Chang's friend shrieked and slopped butterbeer down her front, Terry Boot gave a twitch, Padma and Terra shuddered, and Neville gave an old yelp that he hurried to turn into a cough. I resisted the urge to flinch and moved closer to George, who was the closest Twin to me. His eyes cast me a sympathetic glance before looking to Harry.

"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" A blond Hufflepuff asked in a rather aggressive voice. I knew immediately that I wouldn't like him and would have many problems with him in the future.

Hermione looked like she had feared this kind of resistance would pop up. "Well, Dumbledore believes it—"

"You mean Dumbledore believes _him_." He gestured rudely to Harry.

"Who are you again?" Ron asked with obvious dislike.

"Zacharias Smith," He introduced promptly, "and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes _him_ say You-Know-Who's back."

"You read the Prophet, don't you?" I asked sarcastically. Blue eyes cut to me. "You should know that paper is full of shit. You'd have to be dumb, dumb, and dumber not to see all the signs that He's back." A hand closed over mine and gave a warning squeeze. For the hundredth time, my cheeks warmed.

"It's okay, Hayden," Harry interrupted as Zacharias opened his mouth to retort. He openly met the Hufflepuff's disbelieving face. "What makes me say You-Know-Who's back?" He asked. "I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn't believe him, you don't believe me, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."

Zacharias gave a dismissive scoff. "All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know—"

"So you're gonna believe a paper over the greatest wizard of all?" Terra asked derisively. "You don't deserve to be here if you only came here to be nosy about Cedric Diggory's death, _Smith_."

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone, I can't help you," Harry agreed, his eyes narrowed on Zacharias's aggressive face. "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out." He didn't move from his seat, only continued to gaze intently at Harry, who was casting angry looks at Hermione.

"Is it true," A girl with a long plait down her back asked, looking at Harry, "that you can produce a Patronus?"

"Yeah," Harry said, slightly defensive.

"A corporeal Patronus?" Something in her words seemed to stir realization in Harry because he gazed at her with curiosity.

"Er...you don't know Madam Bones, do you?"

The girl smiled. "She's my auntie. I'm Susan Bones," She introduced herself. "She told me about your hearing. So, is it really true? You make a Stag Patronus?"

"Yes."

Lee looked incredibly impressed and I found myself reciprocating that emotion. "Blimey, Harry! I never knew that!"

I'd always heard from teachers, particularly Professor Lupin, that just producing a Shield Patronus was difficult. The idea of even attempting a corporeal one was out of the question for those of us still in school. I'd bet anything that very _very_ few people at the Ministry could even produce something corporeal. If this actually worked, I was hoping Harry would attempt to teach us his ways with the Patronus Charm. It was a great spell to know.

"Mum told Ron not to spread it around," Fred said, grinning. "She said Harry's got enough attention as it was."

"Did you kill a Basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" Terry Boot demanded. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year."

Harry was getting flustered. "Er—yeah, I did, yeah."

"And in our first year, he saved that Sorcerer's Stone from You-Know-Who!" Neville said to the group at large.

"And that's not to mention all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year," Cho added in her own two cents, eyeing Harry with an adoring look. He seemed to freeze under her attention, focused entirely on her before snapping himself out of his trance. He started to feebly deny all of their praise, looking very uncomfortable with their words before Zacharias opened his mouth once more.

"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?"

"Will you shut up and let him talk, Smith?" I snapped. George squeezed my hand again and I carefully extracted it from his gentle grip. He was making it hard to focus on being angry. "You're being hella annoying right now with your pushy and insensitive questions."

"Well, we've all turned up to learn from him, and now he's telling us he can't really do any of it," He retorted.

"That's not what he said at all," Fred growled, blue eyes flashing.

"Would you like us to clean out your ears for you?" George pulled out a long and lethal-looking metal instrument from his Zonko's bag. I balked at the pointy end, wondering when the hell he had even grabbed it.

"Or any part of your body, really. We're not fussy where we stick this," Fred agreed, tensed as if he was readying himself to actually do it.

"Moving on," Hermione called hastily. "The point is, are we agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?"

There was a general agreement amongst us. Zacharias folded his arms moodily and said nothing, though I think that was because he was too busy keeping one eye on the instrument in George's hand, which he hadn't put away yet.

The next ten minutes was spent arguing on a place where we could practice and when. A good portion of the people here were Quidditch players and they were quick to making their protests about these meetings interfering with practice known. Katie Bell actually suggested the library at one point as a meeting place and I snorted.

"The day Madam Pince lets us pull out our wands among her books is the day she will turn over in her grave."

Eventually, it was decided that Hermione would go looking for a place to practice and would notify us all when she did find something. I had my doubts that she would find something good enough for all of us, but I kept that negativity to myself. She pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, hesitated as if she was steeling herself for protests, then said, "I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. I also think," Here she took a deep breath, "that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge, or anybody else, what we're up to."

 _That_ drew some alarmed noises. Fred snatched the parchment from Hermione and cheerfully put down his large, messy signature with George copying him once he was done. If it had been anyone other than Hermione, I would've ripped the parchment to shreds and proceeded to walk out of the bar. However, I knew how Hermione was with her things and I had no doubt that she wouldn't just leave this lying around for just anybody to see. I wrote down my name in my usual small, loopy print, childishly writing a smiley face beside it.

"Oh, don't be such wusses, you guys," Terra said, rolling her eyes. She leaned over my shoulder, taking the quill from my hand and signing her name underneath mine. "This is _Granger_ you're doubting right now. She's not gonna leave this on the Gryffindor table and walk away. Just put your names down and be on your merry way." The others were more agreeable to sign after that, silently agreeing with the blunt Ravenclaw.

"Keep in touch, Hermione," I said as I stood up, the Twins, Lee, and Terra following suit. "I'll see you around." I waved goodbye before maneuvering through the throng of people and leaving the pub.

"I hope she knows what she's doing," Terra said once we were out of earshot of the pub. "This could go terribly wrong if Umbridge hears about it."

"Don't go taking your words back now," I said reproachfully. "We'll be fine with Hermione acting as Secretary."

I hoped so, at least.

* * *

"Not that I don't mind you guys coming with me," I drawled slowly, looking over my shoulder at the pleased redheads behind me, "but why are you guys following me to the kitchens?"

"We're bored," They said. "And we're hungry."

"You just ate!"

"You should know how our stomachs work right now."

I sighed, exasperated.

After the meeting in the Hog's Head, I hadn't wasted any time rushing back up to the warmth of the castle. Terra had stuck around some more down in Hogsmeade, making a beeline for Honeydukes to indulge her sweet tooth, while the three boys trailed after me at a much slower pace. I spent the rest of the day in bed, dozing in and out of sleep and skipping all of today's meals, which definitely hadn't been approved of by the Twins once I had finally come back downstairs later in the night after curfew hit.

Currently, I was making an attempt to sneak down to the kitchens, but the lovely pranking duo had decided to accompany me for one reason or another. I wasn't necessarily complaining since they kept me company and they were more eyes to watch out for teachers, but I didn't understand why they were firmly against me going by myself. The castle was pitch black and silent. I was confident I would be able to escape a patrolling Professor or Prefect before I would be spotted.

 _Probably thinking of being the Knights in shining armor or something. Idiots._

I was eagerly looking forward to the leftover food that was saved over for students like us who were night owls.

"Do you hear that?" Fred suddenly whispered. I halted instantly along with George, tilting my head and listening. There was no sound for a couple seconds before I heard it. A steady rhythm tapping against the floors and the swishing of fabric. Footsteps and someone's robes. I cursed under my breath.

"That's definitely Vector," George deduced, already looking around for a hiding spot. Fred made a strangled hissing sound at his brother, gesturing frantically from behind a tapestry. George hurriedly grabbed my wrist and pushed me in before clambering in after me. Fred let go of the opening he had made and we were engulfed in darkness.

I immediately didn't like my current predicament. Like. _At all._ The female side of me was cheering and squealing and running herself ragged in circles.

The alcove we were in was small. Way too small for two grown ass boys and a short fifth year to comfortably fit in. By myself, I'd be fine, but with Fred and George being as tall as they were and being as toned as they were thanks to years of Quidditch...well...

Both boys were pressing as hard as they could against the walls at their backs and I, as usual, was right in between them. My face was _burning_ with blood and my heart was speeding as fast as a race car rounding a curve. I could literally feel _everything_ of the Twins. George's front that was pressed tightly against mine. Fred's front pressing firmly against my back. The leg—I wasn't sure whose it was—that was in between my legs to give one of them some room. It was partly the reason I was on my tiptoes and struggling to keep from dropping my weight back down.

 _Do not breath, do not breath, do not breath, for the love of God, DO NOT BREATH._

So much as a breath in and I would be pressed even more intimately against _both_ of them.

"Breath, Hayden," Fred whispered in my ear, fingers gently rubbing against the backs of my shoulders and no doubt hearing the stuttering breaths I was taking. It made breathing even more difficult. Peppermint and gunpowder was strongly encompassing me, surrounding me with its scent and what I knew was purely _Fred._

My hands came up and I weakly tried to put some distance between the two brothers, but it was difficult with such small space. The leg beneath me shifted and I squeaked a bit too loudly. A hand instantly slipped over my mouth. The scent of sugar wafted up my nose.

The footsteps were getting louder and louder until finally they passed us by. All of us waited for another minute before scrambling out.

I left the Twins in the dust as I practically sprinted to the kitchens, blushing the whole way. I was so red that Lettie instantly assumed I was sick and caused the biggest scene I'd ever seen of her before I had finally assured her I was healthy and was just there for food. I left before the Twins could even catch up with me, taking an entirely different path back up to the Common Room.

* * *

Monday brought about a new worry. Namely for the Gryffindor Quidditch team if the notice was interpreted correctly.

 **By Order Of**

 **The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts**

 **All student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded.**

 **An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.**

 **Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).**

 **No student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.**

 **Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.**

 _The above is in accordance with_

 _Educational Decree Number Twenty-four._

 **Signed:**

 **Dolores Jane Umbridge**

 **High Inquisitor**

Fred and George's loud exclamations of "Fuck!" were heard all throughout the Common Room that morning and even I, who had never played a day of Quidditch in my time here, had to agree with them there.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

This is a day or two early, but I knew beforehand that I won't have any sort of access to Wi-Fi on Saturday, so I wouldn't be able to update. So early update for you guys! *Cheers happily*

 _Lots of hearts and appreciation to:_

 **Faby0411:** Of course Newt counts! I personally have never seen Fantastic Beasts yet, but I've heard it's very good!

 **Savage Kill:** That's a typical reaction I get. xD

I'm VERY picky. I don't like coffee and I'm picky about what kind of candy I eat. I don't like the shit that gets stuck in my teeth. It's annoying to get out.

We're following the road that she hadn't quite come to terms with it yet. *Winks* THAT'S A SECRET. Though I will say, it's heavily inspired by Ben Phillips!

 **ElementalGirl1:** I think it's by far one of the best pranks Ben Phillips has ever pulled on Elliot. xD

Reading To Be A Slytherin has definitely opened my eyes to Slytherins a bit more. I rewatched all of the movies and I realized how TRUE the author of that story hits to home. It shocked me to my core. I had to reevaluate what I had always first assumed.

I love all of those characters, but Newt is still a mystery to me since I haven't seen that movie yet!

 **Ussmaple:** Thank you sooooo much! I'm glad you like it!

 _End of responses!_

 **Last chapter's response:** My favorite character is by far Luna Lovegood. I can relate to that girl on a SPIRITUAL level, I swear.

Question for this Chapter: **Least favorite Harry Potter character?**

Thanks for reading this chapters you guys! Reviews are loveeee! *Hearts* Happy Thanksgiving!

~OQ


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** Me no own Harry Potter yet. Someday. Highly unlikely, but a girl can dream.

 **Author's Note:**

HELLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, EVERYONE!

On a scale of 1-10, I was a full blown 11 when it came to writing that scene between the Twins and Hayden. I was so gosh damn excited the whole time. PHEW. I almost gave myself Anxiety as I was working on it last week.

Future chapters are going to be so TENSEEEE. AOWEIBFONASJBFIPBGO{NDBN

Also a warning: SWEARINGGGGG. I know in the Harry Potter series there was very little swearing, but I feel like girls can say some very _nasty_ and disgusting things to rile up another person when they're angry enough.

On another side note: I recently started watching Tokyo Ghoul at the desperate request of my best friend and oh my God. I cannot believe this anime was created. It horrifies me, but I really really like it so far. Uta is my favoriteeeeee. *Hearts* I immediately started looking for stories on him on this site and was disappointed by the lack of them. I've been seriously contemplating creating a story with him and Hayden later on once this story starts wrapping up. *Hums thoughtfully*

Please enjoy this new chapter, everyone! ONWARD!

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter E.I.G.H.T_

_"Permission"_

 _"Ever-changing shapes, showing us our endless possibilities, as waves we come and go, as waves we expand and flow, be the ever-changing wave that always carries the ocean of love within."_ -Roxana Jones

* * *

Call it cowardly of me, but I wasn't prepared to look at the Twins after what occurred Saturday night. I knew I was more than likely overreacting. I was the only one here blowing that whole incident out of proportion compared to the Twins, who were their normal selves, but that didn't stop my thoughts from going back to behind the tapestry, the two warm bodies that had been pressed far too intimately against me to be entirely platonic, and the rush of emotions that had flooded me.

I was never a girl who was interested in relationships or boyfriends. It seemed like I never had the time to give someone else my attention when I can barely keep myself out of trouble. I quite frankly didn't care for it, but if a guy admitted to showing an interest and wanted to go on a date, I'd give the poor bloke a chance. I was a bitch, but I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he had seen something in me that I didn't, which was something I had trouble believing. However, a part of me knew what was going on with the Twins and what I was feeling

 _I knew, but I wasn't ready to totally analyze it yet._ I wasn't ready to confront those feelings and admit them. I firmly believed I was just overthinking and needed some space to forget. Hence why the Twins hadn't seen not even a strand of hair from me since Saturday, which, according to Lavender and Parvati, was driving them crazy because they've been trying to hunt me down and have had no luck finding me.

I spent four years off their radar. I had no problems disappearing off of it again when I needed space. But I felt guilty for doing it. For all I know, they could just be wanting to talk or make plans for pranks or tease me. They probably weren't even overly concerned about Saturday because in their minds, we were just hiding from a Professor to avoid getting in trouble for being out past curfew. They weren't coming to the conclusions I was and they most certainly weren't acting childish like I was. It was all just one big gigantic headache.

In short, I was losing my mind over this and it was making me immensely frustrated.

I skipped breakfast entirely, hiding out in the girls dorm for all of History of Magic. Binns rarely took attendance anymore and he could never remember my name anyway. I wasn't too concerned with skipping his class since we were focusing on the Giant Wars all of this year, which wasn't hard to study. Potions, however, wasn't something I ever intended to skip, so I took secret passageways all the way down to the dungeons to avoid being seen.

"You will notice," Snape said in his low, sneering voice, "that we have a guest with us today." Said guest was entirely unwanted in this particular class, but there she was, sitting in a dim corner of the dungeon with her clipboard on her knee. The other Gryffindors were probably struggling to decide who they liked best, Umbridge or Snape, but I had no trouble picking Snape as the better option since he was civil to me and definitely not an obstacle to me learning Defensive spells in a class.

"We are continuing with our Strengthening Solutions today, you will find your mixtures as you left them last lesson, if correctly made they should have matured well over the weekend. Your instructions," He waved his wand, "are on the board. Carry on."

"Poor Neville," Lavender muttered. Parvati nodded solemnly, casting small glances at the stony-faced boy who sat at the table diagonally from us with Dean and Seamus. "I wonder what got him so riled up with Malfoy like that? I've never seen him look so angry."

While I was silently wondering the same thing, I could only conjure up loose ideas that mainly centered around the last thing Malfoy had said. I had been right beside Neville before he had charged at the blond and he had looked unfazed by everything he was saying _until_ he got to the part about St. Mungo's. _That_ had gotten a nasty snarl on Neville's normally kind face. It wasn't the prettiest thought, but if my conclusions were true, Neville had someone in St. Mungo's who had been magically hurt. And it had to be someone he was close to for him to react like that.

"Snape's coming," I said, distracting them from gazing at Neville and quickly turning to their work. Snape stopped close to my cauldron as I held a small vile of Salamander Blood over the potion, checking the book before tipping a couple drops into the liquid, promptly turning it turquoise. I could faintly hear Hermione growling at Harry behind me for almost making a mistake and held back a laugh. Someone was distracted today.

"Very good, Miss. Walters," Snape praised quietly, dark eyes critically looking over my potion as I stirred it gently, "though a thought for next time you brew this potion: three drops is adequate, but four makes it stronger and more effective."

Taking the praise and the critique gracefully, I replied, "Yes, sir. Thank you." A Gryffindor getting a praise out of this man was like pulling teeth, but I was proud none the less. I was doing something right with him at least.

"Is this a difficult potion to brew, Miss. Walters?" I nearly faltered in my counter-clockwise stirring switch when Umbridge's sweet voice came from behind me.

"No, Ma'am," I said as truthfully as I could. The only difficult thing about this potion was the picky stirring directions, but that was about it. "Everything is in the book and it's a step-by-step instruction. It's not that hard to follow."

She sidled up to my side, beady eyes narrowed on my potion and clipboard poised at the ready. I saw Snape narrow his eyes at her and nearly flinched. I did not want to be in the middle of these two Professors. "Is that so?" She demurred thoughtfully. "Do you think the curriculum is too hard for a fifth year?"

"No," I denied pointedly. "Professor Snape is right to challenge us with these types of potions if we want to be prepared for our exam and for our sixth year." I couldn't stop my mouth from moving some more. "If we can't handle what Professor Snape gives us, then we don't deserve to be in his N.E.W.T. class next year." Parvati inhaled sharply, dark eyes staring at me curiously and obviously wondering what was going through my head.

Umbridge leaned away from me, thankfully, with pursed lips like I had said the complete opposite of what she had wanted. I probably had and felt no shame for it either. "Well, the class seems fairly advanced for their level," She said briskly to Snape, who was standing stiff on my other side. "Though I would question whether it is advisable to teach them a potion like the Strengthening Solution. I think the Ministry would prefer it if that was removed from the syllabus."

Irritation burned brightly as she disregarded everything I had just said. It felt like she was purposefully trying to nail Snape for being incompetent, which, despite his attitude and cold words, he was far from. Snape blinked slowly at her and didn't deign her with a response.

"Now, how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" She asked, quill poised over her clipboard.

"Fourteen years," Snape replied with his usual sneer tempered down somewhat. Umbridge barely even noticed, meticulously circling the tall man as her quill scratched across parchment.

"You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, is that correct?"

"Yes." Only I seemed to notice the barely there twitch in Snape's confirmation, like he was holding back from full on sneering at the toad. Lavender gave a small cringe and shrank closer to Parvati, who was watching the scene wide-eyed.

"But you were unsuccessful?" She asked with a simpering tone, sounding sympathetic.

"Obviously." Someone held back a snigger from behind me, barely suppressing the noise that seemed to echo in the now suddenly silent dungeon. I almost turned around to hiss at Ron, knowing it was him who found enjoyment in this. It was far from funny to me right now.

"And you have applied regularly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?"

"Yes," Snape said quietly, barely moving his lips. He looked very angry.

"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" Umbridge asked. She was treading into more personal territory and I wondered if she was really within her rights to question Snape so familiarly like this.

"I suggest you ask him," Snape said jerkily, dark eyes glinting.

"Oh, I shall," She said sweetly, not looking up at him.

"I suppose this is relevant?" Snape asked with narrowed eyes.

Umbridge finally looked at him, smile still firmly in place. "Oh yes. Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers'...well, backgrounds." Snape was stiff as a board as he glared at the smaller woman, lips curled unpleasantly. Did Snape have some bad history with the Ministry? The nosy part of me was curious and wanted to know, but I mercilessly stomped that urge away. No way was I going snooping into Snape's history. The man was way too scary to try and do that kind of background digging.

 _But I can't just sit here and let her use Snape's history against him. It was far from my business and while the man would scorn the help, I had no qualms with calling her out on her bullshit._

I gently placed down my stirring rod, casting a Stasis Charm on the potion to keep it from ruining. "If that was true, Professor, then why didn't you do the same to Professor Trelawney and Professor Grubbly-Plank?" I had overheard Dean talking to Seamus a while back about Umbridge's inspection of Harry's Care of Magical Creatures class and was far from amused.

Umbridge looked at me like I had just spouted off a foreign language to her. "I beg your pardon, dear?"

"Why didn't you do the same for Trelawney and Grubbly-Plank?" I repeated slowly. "I was in Divination the day you came to inspect us and you never said anything to Professor Trelawney about why and how she was hired. It seems unreasonable and unfair to grade our Potions Professor like this when you didn't do the same for the others just because you have some dirt on him."

Snape gave me a _very blank stare_ , pinning me in my seat with the force of his stare. Umbridge was still for a whole minute before she leaned close to my face with narrowed eyes and a frown on her toad-like mouth. "Are you the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Miss. Walters?" She asked carefully.

I gave her my best sneer, not really caring if I was being highly disrespectful to a teacher. "No, but I'm sure I could do better than you." This time, a chorus of gasps echoed in the room. Out of the corner of my eye, blond hair and a pale pointed face was staring holes into my cheek.

Umbridge stood up sharply. "Detention, Miss. Walters," She snapped. "My office. Tomorrow night at five. Don't be late." That said, she stormed out of the classroom in a flurry of pink, slamming the door behind her. No one in the class dared to speak or even breath loudly until I huffed and crossed my arms, scowling at my cauldron full of turquoise Strengthening Solution.

This was just fucking lovely.

"Get back to work," Snape ordered, thankfully tearing his gaze off of me. His hand slid over my Potions book, long fingers latching onto the edge and taking it with him as he silently glided past me. Black robes had barely gotten past my peripherals before a resounding smack was heard and loud laughter from the Slytherin tables was heard. Seems like Snape had heard Ron's poor excuse of muffled laughter earlier.

"No marks again, then, Potter," Snape snapped maliciously as a strong smell of burned rubber wafted over to me. I gagged and hastily covered my nose with my sleeve as Lavender and Parvati's faces turned green and their noses wrinkled. They hurried to follow my example. "You will write me an essay on the correct composition of this potion, indicating how and why you went wrong, to be handed in next lesson, do you understand?"

"Yes," Harry growled furiously. Snape slipped the book back beside me as he marched by, the book falling back open to the page for brewing the Strengthening Solution.

"What was that about?" Lavender hissed at me once Snape was out of earshot. "Since when do you defend Snape of all people from Umbridge?"

"Who would you rather be stuck with, Snape or Umbridge?" I snapped out. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather have Snape here than Umbridge. At least with him, I know I'll be able to ask questions without getting a detention for hinting at something he doesn't want to hear."

An hour later had everyone rushing out of the classroom after bombarding Snape with their vials of potions with me being in the back and still in a horrible mood. The vial barely left my hands before Snape spoke.

"I never took you to be the impulsive type, Miss. Walters," Snape said, examining me shrewdly as he levitated my potion to sit with the rest on a shelf behind him.

I gritted my teeth, but I forced my tone to be somewhat polite. "I'm normally not, sir."

"Then what made you act out so childishly today?" This felt like 21 Questions and I hated it. Hailey loved this game, but it only served to irritate more than amuse me.

"I don't like her," I admitted gruffly, scowling mightily at the black-haired man. He rested his chin on his interlocked hands and waited. He didn't have to wait long before I caved and elaborated some more. "She's hurting the students, sir," I said angrily. "She refuses to teach us Defensive magic and just expects us to go into our O.W.L. with just the theory down. She's being completely unfair—"

"And why are you under the assumption that she was going to be fair from the beginning?" Snape interrupted. I blinked at him.

"I never assumed that she—"

"You're contradicting yourself, Walters," Snape snapped sharply. I cringed. "By far, you are one of the more mature students in my fifth year classes that I've seen, but after today, I think you need to open your eyes some more and face the reality that's in front of you. Getting a detention for sassing a Professor is immature and beneath you."

This was a talk that I should be hearing from McGonagall as she was my Head of House. Sure, I'd get a revised version of it from other teachers, but ultimately, McGonagall was the one who is supposed to be putting me in my place for the stunt I had just pulled in a classroom full of gossiping kids. Instead, I was hearing it from Snape, who wasn't my Head of House, who wouldn't hold back to insult my behavior and who, in a roundabout way, is telling me to do better.

Feeling embarrassed, I bowed my head. "Yes, sir."

"Good. I expect better in the next class lesson from you."

* * *

I had somehow managed to convince Terra to skip dinner with the promise of raiding the kitchens with her later to make up for it. I could hear the Twins over the roar of the dinner crowd and still wasn't feeling comfortable enough to go in an act like everything was as fine as can be. She wasn't very happy, knowing my reasons for it after spilling my guts out to her Sunday afternoon as we were working on the Summoning Charm again, but quickly got over it when she heard Roger Davies march past, loudly proclaiming to his friend that he was somehow going to convince Umbridge to reinstate the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

"It's _just_ _Quidditch_. What's the big deal? It's not the end of the world if there's no Quidditch for a year."

"It's not just for a year. Umbridge could ban Gryffindor for Quidditch for life if she stuck around."

"Semantics. _It's just Quidditch._ They're not going to die if they can't fly around throwing balls at each other and catching a flying, gold, golf-sized ball every couple weeks."

"Don't let any of them hear you say that."

The whole school was in an uproar over Umbridge's Educational Degree. There were many complaints and many meetings with Heads of Houses to see if this could actually be happening or if it was fair. I snorted when I heard that excuse from a Ravenclaw third year. It didn't have to be _fair_. Umbridge had that power and she was exercising it well. Many clubs were scrambling to get reinstated, but if you were a particular annoyance to the woman, said club would be held over your head while she "took some time to think over reinstating it". Angelina was a mute corpse after that specific meeting.

Tensions ran higher when Malfoy proclaimed, quite loudly, before Potions this morning about how Slytherin's Quidditch team was already back in business because he got express permission from her at breakfast. The nasty gestures Harry and Ron sent him after restraining Neville from attacking Malfoy earned them both a detention with Snape and twenty points lost for both boys.

"Besides that, who do you think told her?" Terra leaned closer to me as we idled outside the Great Hall. Dinner was coming to a slow end as students trickled out of the Hall, weighed down by heavy bags and full stomachs. She glared at a nosy Ravenclaw fourth year, who had looked interested in our talk, until he hurried up the stairs to Ravenclaw Tower.

I arched an eyebrow. "Told who?"

"Umbridge, you dolt!" Terra hissed, aggravated. "This can't just be coincidence that she passes an Educational Decree banning clubs after we've _just_ had a meeting about forming one!"

"Calm down," I soothed her, detaching her hands from her robes as she wrung the fabric tightly in her fists. "You give Hermione too little credit. If I know her style as well as I think I do by now, she would have probably been notified if someone had went to Umbridge by some handy spell she randomly memorized and she'd have told everyone by now."

Terra breathed a sigh, running a hand through her hair. Normally straight hair was messy and had snarls from no doubt running her fingers through it all day. "I don't want to get caught in this," She whispered. She suddenly looked more tired than I had ever seen her. "My Mom's not in the Ministry, but she will be _furious_ if she hears I was part of some resistance." I noted how she never mentioned her Father, but didn't press that subject.

"Trust Hermione to have a backup plan," I said, trying to reassure her. "Everything will be fine so long as we're careful."

"And what," Terra's eyes widened and I felt my heart instantly pick up speed as I turned, "would you have to be careful about, Miss. Walters?" Snape slowly looked between the two of us, clearly expecting an answer. He still looked to be in a mood after Umbridge's inspection this morning for his class. Not that I blamed him. Umbridge had been delving a bit too close to home when she had interrogated him.

While we had our little heart to heart earlier, Snape was still someone who was very low on the list of people to know about the Defense group we were trying to form.

"Practicing the Summoning Charm for Professor Flitwick, sir," I lied as smoothly as I could, hoping beyond hope that he had only heard the latter part of our conversation. My stomach turned at the lie, but I forced my face to remain honest and open. I should've had Terra do the talking. She was a better liar than I will ever be. "I've been struggling with it for awhile and Terra said she'd be willing to help me get the hang of it."

Snape slowly arched an eyebrow and I feared he didn't believe me. "I see," He said. I almost relaxed, but stopped when he continued. "Take care that nothing of the school is permanently damaged, Miss. Walters, Miss. Blanc." I stepped to the side as he breezed past us into the Great Hall, a crowd of students parting like the Red Sea for him as he headed straight for the Headmaster, who was sitting at the staff table in robes of sparkling blue and green.

"That man is way too observant," Terra muttered, watching him go.

I nodded in agreement, heart still racing, but slowly going back to normal. "I agree."

Terra's face suddenly lit up and she turned to me with urgency. "Is Finny okay?"

I blinked, confused. "Yes? I sent a short letter to my sister yesterday morning, so he's out right now. I don't see why he wouldn't be, though. Why do you ask?"

Terra grabbed the sleeve of my robes, tugging me around the corner and into an empty classroom. I sat on top of one of the desks while Terra copied me, sitting across from me. "Potter tried hiding it, but I saw him making a break for the staff lounge this morning during first core with his owl in his arms."

"Was Hedwig hurt?" I asked alarmed, nearly toppling myself off my desk in shock.

"I couldn't see her very well," Terra said, face scrunching up. "She was on his other shoulder, but it looked like her wings were bent weirdly."

"That's awful," I whispered, suddenly fearful for Finny. Sassy owl that he was, he was still just an owl and if something was attacking the incoming owls, I feared for his safety. "I hope he'll make it back during tomorrow's mail rush. He's always been a fast flier and I'll be worried if it takes him more than a day or two to get back to me."

Terra sat up straight, eyes flashing confidently. "I think it was Umbridge."

I didn't rebuke that accusation, merely glanced at her curiously. I had my suspicions that Umbridge would be suspicious of what the students were sending and receiving from home, though I had expected it to be later on when she had a firmer grasp on the school. If she hadn't been here, my next guess would've been the Thestrals, but Hagrid had those gentle creatures trained very well and I didn't doubt the man when it came to his magical creatures. "You believe it was her?"

"I do," Terra said adamantly, daring me to say otherwise. "Filch has taken to that vile woman and follows her around like a lost dog looking for its owner. I wouldn't put it past her to have him check all the owls before the students get them." Her expression darkened. "I've also seen him haunting the upper floors of the Owlery the past couple days I've gone out there to loan a school owl."

"Hedwig must have given him a bit of a fight," I said thoughtfully, accepting her thoughts readily, "especially if you say her feathers were bent." I looked up. "What do you suggest we do if we can't send out mail so readily anymore?"

Terra bit her lip. "Why not instruct Finny to come to Ravenclaw Tower to deliver your mail?" She asked. I gazed at her in surprise and she quickly said, "I'm just saying that since Umbridge is watching Harry so closely, that also means she might be watching Gryffindor in general just as closely. She'll know if owl post is coming and going from the Tower sooner or later. Not many of my House has been on her radar so far, so I think it'll be safer for Finny to slip into my room until morning so that Filch won't grab him."

I didn't hesitate with my answer. "That's wonderful!" I exclaimed, grinning. "That's a great idea, Terra. I would really appreciate it if you don't mind any, especially since I'm now on Umbridge's hit list for the year and might be getting detention for awhile."

She snorted, but her cheeks were bright pink in the fading sunset light that streamed in from the open window. "You dolt, I wouldn't suggest it if I thought it would hinder me. Pay attention more." She paused before she rounded on me furiously. "You got _detention_?!" She hissed. "For what?!"

"I insulted her," I said simply, not really wanting to recall everything that had happened this morning in Potions. I didn't really want to talk about the talk Snape had given me and I didn't want Terra to jump to conclusions on why the Potions Professor was suddenly being all buddy buddy with a Gryffindor of all people.

Terra groaned, covering her face exasperatedly with her hands. "You need to keep your mouth shut," She bemoaned. The scars on her hand, completely healed, shone back at me mockingly and my stomach clenched when I realized I would quickly have something similar on my hand by tomorrow night. "I wouldn't push a Black Quill on anyone, not even Malfoy. It's awful."

I shrugged my shoulders in an attempt to diffuse the tension in my body. "I'm not going to apologize for it. Someone had to call her out."

She dropped her hands and glared fiercely at me with stormy blue eyes. "Your Gryffindor bravery is what's going to get you killed one day." I couldn't stop the shiver that tracked down my spine. I didn't like how ominous she had made that sound. "You're a student. Leave the calling out shit to the Professors. If you want to get back at her, do it discreetly."

I waved my hands at her in a placating manner. "Yes, Mother."

* * *

 _"Why would you do that?"_

 _"I was trying to fix what that fool almost ruined for us."_

 _"You almost exposed yourself."_

 _"But I didn't. Isn't that all that matters to you?"_

 _"It's more than that, you little fool. Do they suspect us?"_

 _"No."_

 _"You're positive?"_

 _"Of course I am."_

 _"I expect better next time. Make no more mistakes. I don't tolerate such failure from you of all people, Bright Eyes."_

 _"You don't have the right to call me that. Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself and what's with you."_

* * *

"You gave us quite the show there, Walters." Pansy was waiting for me around the corner of the intersection Terra and I usually separated at. She was leaning against the wall with one ankle crossed over the other and arms folded over her chest, attempting to look cool and nonchalant. I thought she looked ridiculous and completely uncomfortable.

"What are you talking about now, Parkinson?" I asked, not really in the mood to trade words with a Slytherin. Bulstrode and Davies were hovering behind her, Tracey looking this way and that as if expecting a teacher to come storming towards us and Bulstrode looking for all the world like she was searching for a fight. Pansy straightened herself, arms still crossed and shoulders pulled back. She looked taller than normal and I cursed my short height.

Of course, someone like Pansy couldn't intimidate me with just her height. Having height on me didn't mean jack shit. I already knew I was faster than her if she tried pulling punches and that was especially true when it came to magic. She knew I had her in both areas, so I wasn't sure what it was exactly that she was trying to pull.

"Potions, you filthy commoner," She insulted, rolling her eyes like I had just asked a stupid question. My eye twitched violently and I resisted the urge to send a nasty Leg-Locker curse at her.

"It's almost curfew, Parkinson," I stated sarcastically. "You waited until _now_ to ask me about a class from earlier this morning? What's your motive for waiting so long?"

She ignored my questions, which stroked my irritation to no end. "I should be asking you that. You have no reason to defend Snape like you did."

"You're cornering me because you're suspicious why a Gryffindor is favoring the Head of Slytherin House?" I snorted derisively. "Get your priorities straight, _Puginson._ The real question here is why none of you Slytherins were taking the initiative that I was."

Memories of Elliot flood back and I found that it was hard to keep that same mindset for him with Pansy. To me, Elliot was the more innocent aspect of Slytherin. He was innocently ambitious, seeming to want to reach for greater things without doing harm with that knowledge and knowing where to go to get that knowledge even if it wasn't easily in his reach. With Pansy...she took the self-preservation aspect of Slytherin to a higher extreme than should even be necessary. Selfishness was a common human weakness, but she had way too much of it in this instance if she was questioning my loyalty as a Gryffindor.

 _Being Gryffindor didn't mean I couldn't take pity on a Slytherin or sticking up for one even if he didn't want it._

Her lips curled into a snarl. My wand was wrapped around my fingers in seconds as Bulstrode took some steps towards me, looking furious as I pointed the tip at her threateningly. "Our Head of House doesn't need help from children against someone like Umbridge," Pansy said shortly, words laced with venom.

"I was hardly helping him," I retorted, eyes firmly latched onto Bulstrode and Davies. Pansy was hardly the threat right now since her back up was more keen on attacking me than she actually was. "Umbridge needed to be put in her place."

"You're out of line!" Bulstrode growled harshly, teeth bared. "You filthy Mudblood, watch your mouth on who you're insulting!"

"Watch your own mouth!" I bared my own straight teeth at her, anger coursing through my veins. I _hated_ that word with an absolute passion. "You Purebloods seriously need to learn some manners if you can easily go around saying such shit as readily as you girls do!"

"Filth like you can't compare to our prestigious upbringing!" Pansy hissed, stomping loudly towards me. I let her get closer and closer to me until she was right in my face, watching her hands and the way her dark brown eyes seemed almost black in the weak lighting the torches gave off around us. Having my wand in my hand and ready to go didn't seem to faze her at all. I mentally sneered. Stupid bitch. "People like you shouldn't even be allowed into the school with your magic stealing ways!"

I'd heard enough. "Get out of my face, Parkinson," I said lowly, full on glaring at her. I very rarely got truly angry, but Hailey once compared my real anger to a volcano. It was quietly simmering beneath the surface, seeming almost nonexistent until one day, something just set me off and _I blew up._ I knew I was at that point and it was time to leave to cool down, but Pansy was making that very hard with her persistence to push me for answers I didn't have for her.

"I don't have to do anything you say," Pansy said just as dangerously. A whole thread of my patience snapped within me and I tried to take a discreetly deep breath to stay calm.

"Get back, Puginson," I insulted, hoping the insult would at least cause her to lean back at the wretched nickname that she hated so much. It didn't.

"I don't want to," She said in a normal voice, fury burning in her eyes. She hated how I was ordering her around. Another thread snapped.

"Get away from me, Puginson," I snarled in a louder voice, sliding my wand back up my sleeve so my hand would be free and raised both my arms and _shoved_ Pansy back at step.

She immediately shoved me back angrily. "Disgusting Mudblood, how dare you touch me with your dirty hands!" That last thread gave a resounding snap. I reacted instinctively.

Everything came surging forward. The stress I was feeling with all of my assignments in my classes despite how well I've been able to keep up with everything. The restless nights of little to sleep. The Defense group being formed. My confusing feelings for Fred and George. Worrying about my parents and my sister and _Echo_. The anger that was just resting within me that was directed at myself. The prospect of Finny getting hurt. Concern for Terra and her obvious decline in health as she worries herself sick over something I wasn't privy to.

All of it came forward and seemed to settle over the rational and common sense part of my brain, blanketing it in a cloud of red. Anger and frustration and irritation led me into _moving_. I didn't stop my fist from lashing out in a sharp arc and nailing Pansy in the cheek, snapping her head sharply to the side, and I found that I didn't really care for stopping the violent motion to another student.

Part of me was impressed with how Pansy instantly retaliated, cheek reddening, her lip split, and snarling like an animal as she lashed back at me. While I was never trained properly how to fight, my Father had at least given me some ideas and taught me some basics on how to punch someone and how to defend myself if I was being attacked. How to curl my fingers so I wouldn't break my thumb punching someone. Where to settle my weight and how it should be distributed. How to twist my hips to add more weight and speed to a punch.

All of that disappeared when Pansy tried to hit me back.

"Pansy!"

"Stop it, you two!" That was Tracey, sounding horrified. Why she would be horrified was beyond me.

Everything my Father had shown me went flying out the imaginary window. Pansy's fists and my own were a flurry of limbs as we hit and scratched and screeched incoherently at each other. This was purely what a girl fight felt like to me. Dirty and without technique or skill or comprehension of where to hit to cause the most damage. Fingers tried curling around the long strands of hair that fell freely down my back and I retaliated with yanking Pansy's once flawless ponytail.

Knees became involved. One of us tripped the other and suddenly we were both on the floor, Pansy on top of me and trying to furiously scratch long and _sharp_ nails at my face. I grabbed her wrists tightly and rolled, shoving her away from me and landing a vindictive kick to her hip. Animalistic snarls escaped both of our lips as both of us tried to latch onto a limb.

Magic was completely forgotten between both of us as we tried to cause as much damage as we could to the other before someone undoubtedly heard our scuffle and came to separate us. A very small part of me was disappointed with Bulstrode and Davies, who hadn't once thought to use magic to freeze Pansy and I in place or to separate us somehow. Both girls were attempting to get in between us, though Pansy's flailing legs made it difficult. I vaguely realized that she had kicked Davies down to the ground and felt mild pity for the girl.

Something ripped loudly.

"Hayden!"

I ignored the voices that had shouted my name from down the hall, too focused on Pansy as she violently kicked my side and knocked the breath out of me for a second. My fingers curled desperately around the sleeves of her school robes, giving a harsh yank and causing the Slytherin to lose what little balance she had from being in a crouched position. She fell to the floor with a mighty thump.

I snarled angrily when hands underneath my armpits, pulling me off the floor and away from the scrambling form that was Pansy as she attempted to follow after me with single-minded determination. I dug my nails into the strong forearms wrapped across my collarbone, frustration welling up when they didn't release me. Bulstrode quickly managed to block Pansy's view of me, stepping into her way consistently to keep her from getting any closer to me and whoever it was that was subduing me.

My mouth flew before I could even process what it was that I was saying, trash talking the girl across from me who infuriated me to no end. "What's wrong, Pansy?! You seriously need Bulstrode of all people to stop you from finishing something?!"

"You freaking bitch!" She screeched, trying to side step around her friend and failing spectacularly. "Move, Millicent!"

"You're nothing to me, bitch, if you can't come at me properly!" I taunted relentlessly, the expletives flowing easily from my mouth. I was never one for mindless cursing like this, but it seemed to make Pansy steaming mad and that was the goal. The arms around me tightened and started to drag me backwards.

Pansy seemed to be in the same mindset. "Shut the fuck up!"

"No, bitch!" The horrible word seemed to give her new energy as she finally ducked under Bulstrode's arms and lunged for me. My legs stopped her completely, holding her back as they flailed and waved this way and that as she tried not to get kicked in the face.

"Hayden, stop it!" A voice exclaimed in my ear. Another voice echoed them, but it sounded so far away as I focused entirely on Pansy. Bulstrode eventually tired of trying to stand in Pansy's way, bodily picking the girl up and stumbling down the hall, Pansy screeching the whole way. I opened my mouth to goad Pansy some more, but a firm hand slapped itself over my mouth, stinging the skin and causing tears of pain to cloud my vision.

"Sorry, Hayden," The voice apologized, hurrying off with me still in their arms. Another set of footsteps was right behind the first as we fled the scene, leaving behind Bulstrode, Davies, and the furious Pansy.

A minute later, I was put down on my feet in front of the Fat Lady, who looked very baffled by what she was seeing. I whirled around to glare at the perpetrators. Fred and George seemed to reel back in surprise at the anger on my face. Their faces were just slightly flushed from the sprint up the staircase and their breathing was audible to me despite the two steps that separated us, me being at the top and the Twins lower than me for once.

"Why did you get in the way?" I snarled at them. They both blinked in surprise.

"You were causing a scene, Hayden!" Fred said, shocked. Blue eyes were boring deeply into mine and a part of me melted at the look that was there, but my anger held strong, stomping down the feeling relentlessly. "If we hadn't stopped you two when we did, the amount of trouble you would've been in would be exponential."

"What's your point?"

"Our point?" George asked confused. "Our point is that we just stopped you from being expelled from school for fighting in the halls with a Slytherin!"

"She has marks on her, you idiots!" I snapped. They both flinched back as if I had just slapped them. Something in me broke at the hurt looks they both sported, but my rational side didn't see it. "I'm going to be expelled the second she goes to Snape to show him her lip and the other countless bruises she's got!"

"Defend your reason for fighting back then!" Fred said, sounding thoroughly exasperated. "You didn't attack her without reason!" He paused and blue eyes seemed wary and unsure and almost _worried_. "You...didn't just randomly attack her, did you, Hayden?"

I rolled my eyes. "Your faith in me astounds me."

"It's not like that at all!" He sounded frustrated.

"You didn't see what we saw, Hayden," George whispered, hand reaching out to grasp mine. "You two were at each other so violently that we..."

I tore my hand from his and this time I did see the agony and hurt that flashed in his eyes. "I didn't ask for your input and I didn't ask for you interfere," I said coldly to both of them. "Next time if I want you two to come to my rescue, I'll owl you." I spun on my heel to glare at the Fat Lady, whose mouth was wide open. " _Mimbulus Mimbletonia._ " She swung forward soundlessly. I didn't hear footsteps following after me and the portrait closed with a resounding click.

* * *

It wasn't until as I was sitting in my bed with my knees drawn up to my chest and the curtains drawn that I finally realized what I had done. All of my anger had finally bled out of me, leaving me feeling empty and cold and like absolute shit. My promise to go down to the kitchens with Terra later was at the very back of my mind, registering but ignored.

 _What the hell had I just done?_

Twin pairs of blue eyes that were filled with such _hurt_ and _pain_ haunted my thoughts. Against my will, tears cascaded down my cheeks and I sluggishly cast a Silencing Charm just in case any sobs escaped me. I bit my lip harshly, scrunching my eyes closed as my heart lurched in my chest. I buried my face into my knees and stayed like that for hours until I finally fell asleep.

 _What the_ hell _had I done?_

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SHIT. I bet none of you were expecting that. SURPRISE.

I had too much ammo for that fight, I swear. I don't know if that's good or bad, but I do and it was surprisingly very easy for me to write it out as well as I thought I did.

Unfortunately, I'm on a time restraint right now, so I can't reply to any of the reviews from last chapter, but please know that you guys are appreciated and loved and absolutely amazing for sticking around! *Hearts* You guys keep me going.

I hope you all like this new chapter! Despite the turn it took at the end. *Giggles sheepishly*

Please review review review! I treasure the encouragement that has been so kindly given so far. *More hearts*

I'll see you all next week! Thanks for reading!

~OQ


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** Me no own HP. Yet.

 **Author's Note:**

HELLO, EVERYONE.

I'm so sorry for the delay with this chapter. I've been so tired with work constantly calling me in and sleeping so little thanks to my demon of a dog. I'm surprised I managed to wrangle this chapter out. I'll do my best to get this weekend's chapter up for all of you!

I'm so glad you guys were proud of the Pansy vs. Hayden fight last chapter! To be honest, I was a little worried I wasn't elaborate enough or didn't make it last, but your kind words have definitely proved me wrong. *Hearts* Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Let's get this ball rolling! Here's the new chapter! Enjoy~!*/

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter N.I.N.E_

_"Lesson"_

 _"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."_ -Wayne Dyer

* * *

One of the sleeves on my robes was ripped to high hell. I don't know how I didn't notice, but I went through two class periods ignoring the strange breeze that caressed my arm all morning.

I slowly turned the fabric over and over in my hands. It was a rather long tear, torn at the middle of my forearm and going all the way down the sleeve. Luckily I knew some handy home spells that would easily patch this, but it was disconcerting to me to think that Pansy's _nails_ had torn through the sturdy fabric of my robes. Madam Malkin's robes weren't cheap or cheated in anyway. Anything short of spell work shouldn't have ruined my robes and yet the evidence was in my hands.

Pansy had some dangerous claws. They needed a serious trimming. And to have whatever spells she had enchanted them with nullified. There had to be some rule that was against such fortifications on our body that could obviously cause pain. A brief flash of her nails coming dangerously close to my face had my face pulling down darkly. She would've done serious damage if her nails had gotten any closer to my eyes than they had. Despite her anger, she had to have known that her nails could have seriously hurt me if she'd gotten close enough.

McGonagall nor Snape hadn't made an appearance all morning. And with something as serious as students fighting and visibly leaving damage, I would've been stopped before I even went to breakfast this morning if Pansy had went straight to them like I had expected she would. Not that I even went to breakfast, but I went through two classes with no sign of either Head of House. I couldn't help but be suspicious. That gave me two obvious options.

Pansy either hasn't been seen by any teachers today, or she's just playing it off as an accident and not trying to land me in trouble.

I'd seriously doubt that latter option if I hadn't already seen the girl heading towards Transfiguration, lip split and her cheek one gigantic bruise on full display for everyone to see. She was purposefully not ratting me out and I had no idea why.

 _What the hell is she even playing at?_

I sighed, dragging my wand over my robes and watching dispassionately as the torn edges hemmed themselves back together. I was seriously debating skipping lunch to take a cat nap before Transfiguration. Sleep had barely caught me last night and it showed every time I looked in a mirror or I saw my reflection in a window. The bags under my eyes were far more pronounced and my hair was up in a lopsided ponytail with lots of flyaways that I didn't care to tame.

I was exhausted. Charms had been tiring with us learning the Silencing Charm and don't even get me started on Arithmancy. It was painfully awkward to walk in and see the Twins at the front in their usual spot with my seat wide open. I'd bitten my lip so harshly I'm surprised the skin hadn't broken as I took an empty spot at the back of the class. Hermione and Professor Vector were the only ones who noticed the change and my silence, though neither approached me.

I'd been so cruel to Fred and George. I'd let my temper get the better of me and now on top of dealing with my out of wack emotions, I had to deal with the guilt that ate at me every time I saw or heard them in the halls. Meals were out of the equation as that meant seeing them at the Gryffindor table, so I'd taken to just having Letty bring me food in the morning and at dinner. The poor Elf was worried about me and I felt awful for making the kind creature worry.

 _"Next time if I want you two to come to my rescue, I'll owl you."_

I scowled at the burning sensation in my eyes and furiously rubbed the corners, wiping away the salty tears and thankful that I had forgone all of my make-up today. I didn't feel up to fixing myself up every time my eyes watered, which was annoyingly often today.

God I was such a fucking bitch when I was angry.

"Hey, Hayden?" Lavender's soft voice came from outside my closed curtains. I restrained from sniffling and tried to force my voice into something more normal.

"What'd you need?" There. I was proud. My tone was even, if not slightly shaky, but I felt that was barely even noticeable.

"A Ravenclaw is asking for you outside the Fat Lady. She's got an owl on her. He looks like yours." My curtains were pulled back in a heartbeat and I tore out of the dorm, robes forgotten and taking the steps two at a time and nearly running over a first year that accidentally got in my way. He yelped and just barely dodged my running form.

Terra stood there, tapping her foot impatiently and absently running her hand over Finny's feathers. Her cheeks were stung red and she couldn't hide the tremors that wracked her frame. She had on a thick jacket over her uniform, but she still looked cold. Had she been outside?

"About time," She grumbled with no real heat. "You have no idea the trouble I went through to get your bird before he could reach the Owlery and let Filch nab him." She held her arm out, letting Finny hop across the expanse of it so he could settle on my shoulder. He hooted a greeting, nibbling the edges of my ear affectionately and pressing as close as he could to the side of my face. His feathers were ice cold, but I didn't mind. He wasn't hurt.

"What did you do?" I asked. "Thank you for getting to him before Filch."

Terra flushed and looked away. "It wasn't a problem." She gave a small cough and cleared her throat. I hoped she wasn't getting sick. She couldn't afford to get sick right now, especially since her health was still sketchy at best. She pulled a letter out of her jacket pocket, which I gratefully accepted. "I had to lure him to me with the help of the Thestrals."

I blinked and looked at Finny, who looked perfectly serene and not like he had just been chased by gigantic and skeletal winged horses.

"He wasn't happy with me," Terra said, reading my face. She moved her hair away from her ear and I immediately saw the dried blood at the tip. She shrugged sheepishly, letting her hair fall back into place. "I deserved it, but I didn't have any other ideas other than spelling him out of the sky and I wasn't about to do that. The Thestrals were happy to help, anyway. Smart creatures."

 _Who had Terra watched die for her to see the Thestrals?_

I gently flicked Finny's beak in a reprimanding manner. He reared back indignantly and hooted angrily. "Don't give me that," I said sternly. "She prevented you from getting attacked. You owe her an apology, mister." Finny merely preened the feathers on his wings and refused to look at the two of us. I assumed that meant he wasn't going to give any sort of apology in the near future.

"Don't worry about it," Terra reassured as I frowned at my stubborn bird. "I don't blame him for it. I would've done worse if I was in his position and chased down from the sky by a group of Thestrals." I cringed as she did a slow once over of my form. She frowned. "You look awful," She said softly.

"Thanks," I said somewhat snappishly, mildly offended that she pointed out the obvious. I knew I didn't look so put together today, but it was something entirely different for someone to actually point it out to me, even if that person was Terra.

She scowled at me. "Don't give me that bullshit," She said in a clipped tone. "Did you really expect me to just say you look like you're ready to go to a ball or something? You look dead on your feet."

I sighed. "I didn't sleep well last night," I admitted. "I had a lot on my mind."

"Is it because of yours and Parkinson's fight yesterday?" I nodded, not meeting her eyes and not overly surprised that she knew. Word travels fast when the originator was Pansy Parkinson. Her frown deepened when I did look at her. "It's not just that, is it?" She asked perceptively, brown eyes seeming to peer through me. "Is it the Twins?"

"Why do you guys always assume my mood swings are centered around the Twins?" I snapped defensively, irritated. Why was it that people always came to that conclusion? It couldn't all just be because I was always with them. That was a stupid reason and completely ridiculous.

Terra arched a blond brow, but didn't elaborate. "So it is about them? Does it concern the fight you three had last night?"

"How did you—"

Terra jabbed a finger to something behind me. The Fat Lady's eyes widened and she quickly darted out the side of her portrait and disappeared. "The portraits see everything," Terra said bluntly. "You'd be surprised how a fair few of them are a bunch of gossipers and love a good drama when it comes up."

I loved how my fight with the Twins was a good drama to the Fat Lady and whatever portraits she had told. I silently resolved myself to be as short with the portrait as I could in the future.

"Don't get mad at her," Terra admonished, reading the expression on my face. "I only found out because I was passing her and the pretty girl in the wedding dress on the first floor and overheard her talking about it. It wasn't hard to convince her to tell me what she was talking about." She stepped closer to me. I averted my eyes from her piercing gaze. Her eyes were so sharp and perceptive. It made me uncomfortable. "So what's going on?" She asked softly.

 _Should I tell her? It's only Terra. She's not Lavender, who can't keep a secret, or Hermione, who will give me a whole list on what I should do to fix it. Maybe..._

I was a predominantly private person. I liked having my space and keeping my problems with just me and not anyone else. Even at home, I preferred sitting in my room and reading or drawing or doing any one of my few other hobbies instead of socializing with my parents and Hailey. My family never took it personally; I always participated in family activities when asked and that made up for my anti-social behavior.

Terra was invading that aspect of me right now with her probing, but I couldn't find myself to be angry or irritated with her. If it had been my Mom or even Hailey, I would've dismissed them and played it off as nothing important. But with Terra...I couldn't fool her. She'd know I was lying to her and I wasn't a liar. I'd never lied to her since I first met her in Defense this year up until now and I found that I couldn't even muster up the will to lie to her about my dilemma with my guilt and how I felt it was literally eating me alive.

 _Maybe she can help me..._

I sighed tiredly and ran a hand through my ponytail, wincing as it caught a snarl. Terra noticed and pushed me into a sitting position on the first step, Finny leaving my shoulder to glide to the floor at my side. She slapped my hands away and instead of using magic like I expected, her fingers pulled out the hair tie and gently began pulling through my hair, carefully detangling the snarls. I recognized a stalling attempt when I saw one.

"Talk," Terra encouraged. I was a sucker for anyone playing with my hair, so I had no problems blaming Terra's gentle fingers for my loose mouth.

"I feel guilty," I admitted quietly, focused on my bare feet. My toes absently wiggled at me as I put my letter beside Finny, who merely eyed it before dismissing it as the original letter he had brought.

"About?" I held back a wince when she caught a particularly bad snarl and she apologized quickly. I sleep one time with my hair not in a braid and it's an utter mess the next day.

"Snapping at the Twins. I said some cruel things to them."

Terra hummed, not responding for a second. Her fingers were lulling me into a state of drowsiness. My eyes closed against my will and I relaxed completely against Terra's knees. They buckled before holding against my weight. I had caught her by surprise. "So apologize to them," She said simply. "I've only ever talked to Fred and George a handful of times, but they seem to be very understanding people."

 _It's not that easy._

"How can I look at them after saying what I said?" I said dejectedly. The horror on Fred's face and the absolute heartbreak on George's face made a fresh wave of tears pool at the corners of my eyes again. I didn't stop the one that managed to escape. Finny hooted sadly and wedged himself into my side. My fingers automatically smoothed over his head. "I wouldn't blame them if they wanted nothing to do with me."

"You're being overdramatic," Terra said bluntly, ignoring how I stiffened. "I don't take the Twins to hold grudges against you of all people because you lost your temper and accidentally took it out on them. It was a wrong time wrong place situation. Surely they'd come to that conclusion on their own."

Was I being overdramatic? Yes, I felt like I was. But that was something I had a hell of a time controlling. Mom liked to call me a people pleaser at times and when it came to Fred and George, I couldn't understand why they put up with me and it baffled me as to why they kept coming back around. Was it all just some elaborate prank to them? To pass the time until they graduated? To alleviate boredom? Despite those thoughts, I enjoyed the company Fred and George willingly gave me and I found that I wanted nothing more than to keep them happy and hope that they stick around.

 _It felt like we were meant to be friends. Maybe even something more._

I banished that last thought. I wasn't about to get into that with Terra right now.

"I don't know," I said lowly, feeling both sheepish and embarrassed. I couldn't find the correct words to explain my thoughts to Terra. "I still feel like I don't really deserve to confront them about what happened."

 _Especially since it's only been a day since I snapped at them. It feels like it's been so long._

"That's just your own hesitation and insecurity," Terra said. Her fingers were now finally running smoothly through my long hair, her nails gently caressing the skin on my scalp. God, it felt so amazing. She began parting my hair. "I understand that not all Gryffindors are brave despite what your House signifies and I'm not saying that you're not brave either, but maybe it's time for you to steel yourself and confront this."

It hit me suddenly. It was obvious why Terra was in Ravenclaw. She had a majority of the aspects Rowena Ravenclaw valued in her House, mainly her intellectual prowess and the wisdom in her words as she spoke. She didn't know the whole story since I didn't completely disclose everything, but she correctly deduced what was bothering me solely through what proof she did have and because of how well she knew me despite how little time had passed.

I had never understood why Terra was in Ravenclaw. I wasn't dissing how smart she was, but anyone in the other Houses could be very smart. Ravenclaw was mainly for those who were dedicated to learning anything and everything, spending a lot of their time reading and reading and looking for answers to their questions. Terra never gave me that vibe. She didn't seem to care for that. If anything...Terra reminded me of a Slytherin with her wit and her sharp tongue.

 _But now I understood why the Sorting Hat had placed her in Ravenclaw._

"You just need a good push," Terra continued. I tuned back in to her words. "Something that will force you into talking to the Twins."

"You can't force me into anything," I said sarcastically with no real heat. Fred and George could never force me into doing anything I didn't want to do, especially when it came to them forcing food on my plate. Terra wouldn't be any different.

I couldn't see her face, but it felt like Terra was smirking at the back of my head. "You'd be surprised," Was all she said. Part of me didn't doubt her words. She gave my hair a slight tug before it thumped against my tailbone. I was surprised to feel a comfortably tight fishtail braid starting at the crown of my head run all the way down to the ends that grazed my uniform skirt. I could never fishtail my own hair. It baffled me too much to even comprehend doing.

 _Speaking of baffling..._

"Terra, what year are you in?" I asked, looking over my shoulder. She blinked down at me, brown eyes confused. "I know practically everyone in our year and I didn't know about you at all until this year. If you were a transfer, that'd make more sense, but I don't recall any recent news about transfers over the past year or two."

Terra looked like she was close to laughing at me. Her cheeks tinged pink as her lips twitched. She coughed into her hand to hide what I knew to be a laugh. "That's because I'm not a fifth year."

Now I blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Technically, I'm only a fourth year, but I was so far ahead of my studies my second year that the teachers began to notice and my Mom badgered Dumbledore into moving me up a year to give me more of a challenge. I'm really a fourteen year old in fifth year classes."

And my mind was officially blown.

 _But I felt so much better now than I had last night thanks to Terra._

* * *

I gave short knock and Professor Umbridge's voice echoed out to me. "Come in, Miss. Walters."

Her office disgusted me the second I walked in. Everything was a disgusting pink color, from the lacy covers and clothes that covered all the furniture to the luridly flowered robes Professor Umbridge had decided to wear this evening. There were vases filled with dried flowers everywhere in the room and the wall was covered with ornamental plates that had different breeds of kittens with different colored bows on all of them. It smelled way too strongly of cheap perfume that made me want to sneeze and of sweetened coffee.

"Good evening, Miss. Walters," Umbridge greeted, not looking up from the parchment she was scribbling across. "Please, have a seat." She indicated the front of her desk, where there was a noticeable space cleared for me no doubt and a blank parchment with a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point beside it.

"You will be doing some lines for me today, Miss. Walters," Umbridge began as she put her quill down and looked up at me, resting her chin on her crossed hands. She was forcing a smile on her face and it made her look like she was grimacing, "and you will be using one of my quill sets instead of your own if you don't mind."

I hid a scowl as I picked up disgusting quill, poised over the parchment. "What do you want me to write?" I asked with heavy reluctance.

Professor Umbridge straightened and said slowly, "I want you to write _'I must not be disrespectful'_."

 _I'll show you fucking disrespectful, lady._

Fuck, that was a mouthful and a half. That was going to cover my whole hand despite my small handwriting. The quill scratched slowly across the parchment and I held in a strangled hiss as the sharpest pain I had ever felt cut across the back of my hand. Words that looked so much like my own handwriting carved themselves at a painstaking pace in my skin, irritating the skin around it immediately and drawing the faintest traces of blood to the surface.

How had Harry done detentions with her so many times? _This was painful._

I ignored the pleased grin on the evil woman before me and continued to scratch across the parchment, my hand twitching violently when a particular line hurt just a bit more than the last.

 _I must not be disrespectful._

 _I must not be disrespectful._ The last line drew a thin bead of blood from the last letter. I felt it trail down the side of my hand and curl into my palm, but I didn't stop the steady pace I had developed.

I wanted this to end so bad. I had thought my pain tolerance was average at best, maybe even close to above average. I could tolerate a good degree of pain, but this. This wasn't something that I had ever felt. I don't think getting a tattoo would compare to this. God, I hoped a tattoo wasn't this bad. I was so looking forward to getting quite a few in the future and this detention was putting me off the idea strongly.

 _I must not be disrespectful._

 _I must not be disrespectful._

My hand was shaking violently and the spasms made the wounds ache fiercely. I itched to pull out my wand and try to numb the pain, but didn't dare do it in front of Umbridge. Her beady eyes rarely left my face, only looking away to scratch across her parchment or to open a drawer every once in a while. She was being annoyingly watchful.

I wanted nothing more than to just burn this quill to high hell and run from the room and never look back, hoping that my Head of House would keep the evil toad away from me, though I knew that was a misplaced hope.

 _I must not be disrespectful._

 _I must not be disrespectful._

Time was something I ignored as I continued to write the lines Umbridge wanted. I knew it was getting dark when Umbridge flicked her wand and a small lamp in the corner flicked on and the curtains were pulled close to hide the darkening sky from my view. I never carried a watch, so that left me completely at her mercy. I hoped she wouldn't keep me over.

I wanted to leave.

"Come here, Miss. Walters," Professor Umbridge said after what felt like eternity. I stiffly stood from my seat and walked around her desk, stopping before her. She held her hand out expectantly. I struggled not to snarl like a rabid dog at the offending limb. "Hand." I placed it in her thick, stubby fingers that were decorated with gaudy and ugly old rings. I barely stopped a cry of pain from leaving my lips when she gripped my hand a bit too tightly than strictly necessary.

"Yes, it hurts, doesn't it?" She asked softly, looking at her work. My hand shook in her grasp and I knew she could feel it.

 _You sick bitch. I HATE YOU._

I was relieved when she released my hand and waved me towards the door. "I think I've made my point, Miss. Walters. You may go."

I fled the room as fast as my feet could carry me, cradling my bleeding hand to my stomach and barely suppressing a sniffle as the pain flared with a vengeance. I didn't know how I was going to keep this from my parents. Being Muggles, there was very little they could do to contact the school to complain and even if they could, there was even less Dumbledore could do thanks to Umbridge being so high up there with Fudge supporting her every move.

I had seen Harry's hand in passing glances and with his recent detention, the scars had reopened and were agonizingly fresh against his pale skin, but I could still picture the white, jagged lines after the wounds had fully closed. These would stick out sharply against my skin despite my inability to tan.

 _I hate that woman with a fiery and burning passion._

I took the one secret passage that would take me as close to the seventh floor as it could and was shocked to see Hermione waiting for me outside the Fat Lady, arms crossed and expression carefully blank as she watched me climb up the stairs. Her eyes latched onto the hand close to my stomach and her eyes softened sadly. She sighed, sounding painfully exhausted as I stopped before her.

"Here." I was surprised at the green apple that was in her hand, but accepted it nonetheless. "You'll feel better if you eat something," Hermione instructed. "I didn't see you at dinner, so don't try and say that you already ate."

"There's no point in lying about my absence from meals," I said, taking a bite of the apple. It wasn't as fresh as the ones Letty always provided me with, but it was still a good apple. I felt much better than I had before now that I had actually eaten something.

"Give me your hand," She instructed quietly, not sounding like her usual bossy self. I extended my hand. She took it with a feather light grip and pulled it closer to her, inspecting it as she reached into her robes and pulled out a vial. I recognized the Murtlap Essence instantly. She poured a steady amount and the skin smarted painfully under the potion. She carefully directed the potion to cover the wounds with her wand, watching as it dried.

"Why are you out here?" I asked softly. I was grateful that Hermione had thought to keep a batch on her and was using it on me, but this was out of character for her.

"I knew you were going to need this," Hermione answered, not looking up. Her eyes were focused entirely on my hand. The skin was beginning to lose its redness.

I felt like there was more, but I didn't say anything else. I hoped she would explain herself some more. This was so out of Hermione's normal character that it was throwing me for a loop.

"You know, I overheard Fred and George earlier." I froze and she had my entire attention as my eyes narrowed on her. "They weren't happy with Angelina that she hadn't cancelled practice with the weather being as bad it was and they were seriously considering tricking her into eating something from those awful Skiving Snackboxes of theirs to get out of it."

"They're not stupid," I defended unconsciously. "I think they're quite genius."

Hermione smiled at my hand and continued speaking. "Turns out one of their products that causes an increase in temperature will also cause massive boils to appear all over their bodies and they haven't quite managed to recover from them." Hermione giggled under her breath, amused. "I had to laugh at them. They were complaining all night about how riding their brooms had caused the boils to get worse, but they were still laughing despite their obvious discomfort."

My heart seemed to squeeze in my chest and it was getting harder to keep looking at my Hermione as the tears I'd held back in Umbridge's office filmed over my eyes. The half eaten apple in my hand seemed to weigh a ton more and sagged against my side. I suddenly wasn't so hungry anymore.

"They've been a little off lately, those two," Hermione added absently. "Normally I'd catch them doing something against school rules at least ten times a day, but they've been subdued today." She hummed. "I wonder why that is."

I shifted uncomfortably, understanding what she was trying to get at without directly telling me. "Why are you telling me this?" I asked lowly, willing my eyes to stop tearing up. It hurt to hear about them from a third party instead of from one of them. She had to know that.

Hermione finally looked up at me, releasing my now dry hand. Seeing how I wasn't eating the apple anymore, she pointed her wand at it and Vanished it promptly. She pushed the remainder of the Murtlap into my other hand, making sure my fingers grasped it before pulling away completely. "Someone has to keep you informed," Was all she said before turning on her heel, saying the password, and disappearing into the Common Room.

* * *

"A meeting?" Terra asked, eyebrow arched. Both of us had just finished our last classes for the day—Terra had Ancient Runes and I had Astronomy Theory—and were slowly making our way through the Transfiguration quad after meeting up with each other when Ron had caught sight of us and ushered us towards his position beside the portrait of Giffard Abbott, who I knew had a shortcut behind him that led to the Grand Staircase.

Ron nodded his head hurriedly, scanning the halls fervently. "Tonight at eight o'clock on the seventh floor across from that Barmy tapestry." His eyes lit up as he spotted Neville and rushed off through the crowd of students.

"Well, he was in a hurry," I commented idly, watching him whisper in Neville's ear before disappearing again.

"No kidding," Terra agreed, scowling. "He gave us little to no information about the meeting." She cast me a hopeful glance. "You do know what he's talking about, right?"

I frowned, mentally mapping out the seventh floor and what few paintings I could remember. "I think so," I said hesitantly. "There's not that many paintings that close to Gryffindor Common Room, so it can't be that hard to find."

"If we both somehow manage to miss a crowd of mixed House students wandering around the seventh floor lost, we need our eyes checked," Terra said bluntly. "Let's go get food. I'm starving."

I stuck with Terra for all of dinner, refusing to look at the Gryffindor table and once again eating little. I made Terra promise to let me know if the Twins ever made a move to come over, which she agreed to reluctantly. After dinner, we headed to the Library under the ruse of doing some homework, though neither of us had any intentions of doing homework since we were still caught up with the workload and could afford to slouch a day.

At a quarter till, we packed up and left the Library. The halls were empty and quiet with no students around to chatter. Fifth years were allowed out until nine, but it felt weird to me and I was unconsciously looking over my shoulder half expecting Snape to loudly proclaim that he was putting me in detention for a week.

"Stop doing that," Terra hissed when I looked behind me again. "You're making me nervous. We aren't breaking any school rules, so quit it."

"Someone's touchy," I grumbled and grunted when her elbow planted itself in my gut.

Reaching the seventh floor, our steps slowed as we looked around for signs of other members. Terra gripped my sleeve and pointed ahead. I recognized the Barnabus the Barmy's tapestry, but instead of the blank wall that was supposed to be opposite it, a highly polished door was there. I exchanged a startled look with Terra before hesitatingly approaching the door and pushing it open.

The room was _huge_ and lit with what looked like the torches that illuminated the dungeons eight floors below. Wooden bookcases lined the walls and silk cushions were scattered all over the floor, many of which were already occupied. Shelves carrying strange instruments that buzzed and hummed filled the room with a low whirl of noise that reminded me of Moody's classroom last year.

"You made it!" It seemed that we were the last ones to arrive because all but two of the cushions were taken. I avoided the two sets of blue eyes that looked my way.

"What is this place?" Terra asked breathlessly, still looking around in awe.

"The Room of Requirement." Harry seemed small from his place in between Hermione and Ron, but he met our eyes squarely. "It only appears to those that have use of it."

"This is incredible." I plopped down beside Luna, who gave me a dreamy smile that was oddly adorable. I gave Harry my full attention, as did the others.

"Well," He began nervously. "This is the place we've found for practices and you've obviously found it okay—" Cho interrupted him with her loud agreement, which caused several of the others to murmur their agreement.

"It's bizarre," Fred said, frowning. My eyes moved to his relaxing form beside George and Lee as he looked around the room. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then."

"Harry, what's this stuff?" Dean asked from behind me, pointing at the Sneakoscopes and a glass instrument strangely similar to a mirror that I didn't know the name of.

"Dark Detectors, Thomas," Terra said, brown eyes focused in particular on the mirror. "They show when Dark wizards are around, but they aren't to be trusted. They're quite easily tricked." A shadowy figure moved in the mirror, though I knew nobody had moved from their spot. I hastily looked away.

"Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and—" Hermione's hand shot in the air. "What, Hermione?"

"I think we ought to elect a leader."

"Harry's leader," Cho said instantly, looking at Hermione like she was crazy. Terra snorted under her breath and I restrained a giggle.

"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly. It makes it formal and it gives him authority. So, everyone who thinks Harry ought to be our leader?" All of our hands were raised in the air, though from the expression on Terra's face, she looked like she didn't really care who the hell the leader was so long as it wasn't Cho.

"Um...thanks, Hermione," Harry said, blushing. "Now— _what_ , Hermione?"

"I also think we should have a name," She said brightly. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

"Careful, Granger, you're starting to sound like some hippy Hufflepuff," Terra muttered, rolling her eyes. I slapped her arm reprimandingly, but couldn't stop a grin from making its way across my lips.

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" Angelina asked.

"That's too close to the Justice League," I said off-handedly. I got many confused stares, but they were ignored. "We aren't some super hero group, Angelina. That name's too cheesy."

"What about the Ministry of Magic Are Morons Group?" Fred suggested. Many of us laughed at that.

"I was thinking," Hermione said reproachfully, frowning at Fred, "more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."

"The Defense Assocation?" Cho offered. "The D.A. for short, so nobody knows?"

"D.A.'s good," Ginny agreed, "but let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"

I didn't like that idea, but I kept my silence. Terra had no qualms and I realized that we were along the same thought process. "That's just asking to paint a target, though," She objected. "What if someone got ahold of that list?" She pointed at the parchment in Hermione's hands that held all of our names. "All eyes will be turned to Dumbledore and if he gets the boot, the school will fall for good."

"It's Hermione who's got it," Ron said dismissively, shrugging his lanky shoulders. "We'll be fine." Terra frowned, but didn't say anything else and glanced towards me. She didn't like that idea anymore than I did.

Harry wasted no time in taking over again and asking us to split into pairs to practice the Disarming Spell, which raised a few eyebrows, but only Zacharias Smith verbally complained about it, though he was quick to be put in his place by Harry. I latched onto Terra and let her lead us to a corner of the room beside Harry and Neville, who was a known hazard with his wand at times.

"This will be interesting," Terra said across from me. She raised her wand. "Let's try this." Three seconds passed before we both moved in sync.

" _Expelliarmus_!" My wand was tugged violently from my hand, but I was happy to see Terra's doing the same thing, clicking loudly against the floor behind her as my wand did the same.

"Great job, you two!" Harry praised, watching as we fetched our wands. We both preened under his praise and grinned at each other. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something off happening to Smith. Every time his mouth opened to disarm Anthony Goldstein, his own wand would go sailing right out of his hand, but Anthony wasn't even making a sound.

 _Non-verbal magic, maybe?_

That was a little advanced for our age, but not unheard of for one of us to have read ahead of our designated chapter.

It turns out that it wasn't Anthony using non-verbal magic. Fred and George were several feet from Smith and taking turns pointing their wands at his back and disarming him discreetly. My laughter seemed to echo in the room and both boys looked towards me. I gave them a hesitant smile and turned away, though their stares were still heavy and hot on my back for the longest time.

My heart felt much lighter afterwards.

"Look at her." Terra pointed at Cho and her friend, Marietta, who were both being watched by Harry. Cho's face was red and she was butchering the spell so bad that she accidentally caught her curly-haired friend's sleeve on fire. The look she was given was nasty. "She's so far up into Harry's business that she can't even focus properly." Terra rolled her eyes. I snickered before we began practicing again.

Harry dismissed us a little after nine, having lost track of time. He let us leave in groups of three or four, anxiously looking at a ragged and old piece of parchment in his hands for a couple minutes before sending the next group. Terra and I had just barely gotten out the door when hands tugged on the back of my robes. I knew instantly who it was, but steeled myself for the upcoming conversation.

"You go on ahead," I said steadily when Terra's brown eyes cut to me inquisitively. "I'll see you tomorrow." Her expression didn't change, but I got the impression that she was proud of me as she left me behind and made her way towards Ravenclaw Tower on the west side of the castle. Harry, Hermione, and Ron passed by me, but only Hermione looked back before she disappeared around the corner.

I sighed and turned to the face them.

Fred and George were not the types to look nervous. I had never seen them look like they did now. They were always so confident and proud and slightly arrogant, but never worried. This had to be a change for them and I felt bad that I was more than likely the cause for them to be feeling like they were. Blue eyes latched onto mine and didn't look away.

"I owe you two an apology," I started, glaring at them when their mouths opened to interrupt me. They clicked shut. "I shouldn't have gotten angry with you two like I did. It was directed at the wrong person and completely uncalled for."

"Stop sounding so professional," Fred said and my whole body warmed at the sound of his normal, teasing voice. "It's an apology, not a letter to the Minister himself."

"Besides," George muttered as he reached forward to grab my hand. It was warm and large and completely overwhelmed my smaller one, "we shouldn't have pushed you like we did."

Fred nodded his head in agreement, grabbing my other hand. The same feeling sang through me and my cheeks burned. "We should have given you space."

"I need to learn to control my temper," I corrected them, squeezing my fingers as best as I could around their grips. They immediately returned the action and it brought a feeling of relative completeness and safety with it. It was a strange combination.

"Who'd have thought our Hayden had a temper, George?" Fred teased.

"We never would've guessed," George agreed, grinning.

I rolled my eyes and tugged my hands free from them. "Shut up and accept my apology already." In the next second, arms wrapped around me and the scents of mint and sugar surrounded me. My shoulders drooped and my arms subconsciously reached around both sides of the boys squeezing me to their chests.

"Apology accepted," Was all they said.

It had only been two days since we had last talked, but it had felt like an eternity.

 _I missed you guys...so much..._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

OH MY GOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDD.

 _Lots of hearts and appreciation to:_

 **ElementalGirl1:** I AM SO HAPPY YOU APPROVED OF THAT FIGHT. IT GAVE ME SUCH ANXIETY WRITING IT.

 **Savage Kill:** I have to agree with you there. I, unfortunately, am much like Hayden, though I have considerably more control and refuse to let myself lash out at my friends because I'm pissed off at someone else. In a way, Hayden's temper reminds me a lot of my sister, who gets provoked by the smallest of things.

 **Ussmaple:** I'm so glad you liked it! I tried my best to make it as realistic as possible!

 **Mrs. Shawn:** NEW REVIEWER. HELLO. No worries! Hayden definitely pulled through with a little help from Terra the Guru and Hermione the Pusher.

 _End of Responses!_

 **Two chapters ago response:** Motherfucking Pettigrew.

Question for this chapter: **Who is the better option, Dumbledore or Severus?**

I will do my absolute best to get this weekend's chapter out just like I promised in the author's note above! I actually have some days off this week, so once I can catch up on some much needed sleep, I'll get right back to typing up another new chapter!

Thanks so much for reading, everyone! Reviews are so appreciated, though aren't necessary to fuel my desire for this story to continue. *Hearts* Any love given is accepted and treasured!

~OQ


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter ever.

 **Author's Note:**

Low-key might have led you guys on with the promise of this chapter last Sunday. *Laughs sheepishly* Yeah, I didn't mean that at all. I totally meant today. I don't know what was running through my mind when I put that in the A/N last chapter.

Anyway.

ONWARDS!

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter T.E.N._

_"Learning"_

 _"When a man learns to love, he must bear the risk of hatred."_ -Uchiha Obito

* * *

There was a soft meow that only barely reached my ears, but it was silenced by an equally soft command. The quiet tapping of scruffy shoes was loud compared to my nearly silent footsteps and the pattering of rain against the windows. Even the Twins were being quiet for some odd reason.

I leaned closer to the closest Twin, who just so happened to be Fred. "Has anyone else noticed that Filch has been following us since the second D.A. meeting last week?"

His head turned just the slightest and blue eyes peered over my shoulder before he turned forward. A smirk was playing on his lips. "We've noticed," He assured, nodding towards George, who, as usual, was on my opposite side. "We could hear him wheezing from the sixth floor. He's not exactly being discreet."

"He suspects us," George whispered, discreetly glancing back as well.

"Obviously," Fred sassed, rolling his eyes playfully. George reached over my head and swatted his brother's shoulder.

"Do you think Umbridge is putting him up to it?" I whispered curiously as we cut a corner sharply, disappearing from the older man's sight for a few seconds. I could feel his eyes on my back when he finally rounded the corner.

George snorted. "I _know_ Umbridge is putting him up to it. She has him wrapped around her pudgy little fingers."

"How do you know?"

We were nearing the Room of Requirement for our third meeting a little bit early, but none of us minded. We knew there would be others already there, eager to learn something from Harry, who was slowly getting more and more comfortable with his role as our teacher. He was a natural when it came to teaching us. We couldn't have picked a better teacher even if we'd tried.

Our only problem was ditching Filch right now.

George pulled an ear from his pocket and I nearly blanched at how life-like it looked. I knew without a doubt that this was their so-called Extendable Ears product. "We've got these babies riddled all over her office," He said proudly, waving the ear in my face. I slapped his hand away and glared.

"When did you even have the time to do that?" I asked.

"A little help from Lee while we distracted her in class one day," George snickered proudly.

"We've even managed to charm them to not have to have the string that used to connect them together," Fred bragged, looking very pleased with himself. "She hasn't noticed a single one so far."

"For a Ministry official, she's not very sharp," I deadpanned, still glaring at George and his offending ear, relieved when he slipped it back into his pocket. His eyes cut to me and he directed a boyish grin at me. For some reason, I felt like the freckles across his nose seemed more pronounced and his face seemed to radiate the sun. I blushed and averted my eyes, grumbling under my breath. Fred laughed out loud at my expense and I dug my elbow into his side vindictively, turning my nose up as he wheezed slightly.

It was strange how easily the three of us had slipped back into our roles as practically best friends. That seemed so weird to say. _Best friends._ But there really was no other word to describe Fred and George and our relationship. They were my best friends and I felt like that sentiment was slowly being reciprocated from both boys. I knew Lee would always hold a special place with the Twins and I would never dare get between that friendship, but it made my whole body warm knowing that I could confidently call Fred and George something more than acquaintances. And that I could rely on them if I needed something.

 _But really, you just want them to be_ more _than just your best friends._

My mind was rebelling against me, I swear.

"Filch won't be able to get in right?" I asked as the Room of Requirement's door appeared before us. Fred pushed the door open for me.

"According to Neville, no," He reassured as I passed him and the door closed behind George with a resounding echo.

I arched an eyebrow curiously. "Neville?"

George grinned proudly, pointing out said boy, who was in a corner by himself practicing a flicking motion with his wand. It looked like he was trying to get the hang of the Disarming Spell Harry had taught us two weeks ago. "Neville's great," He said. "It's only been a few weeks, but Neville really gets this room."

"He did some investigating and he's positive that so long as someone is in the room already, no one else can get in if they don't know exactly what they're looking for," Fred explained. "The door won't open. He's still trying to sort through the loopholes, but he's still got it down pretty solidly."

I looked at Neville with slightly new eyes. I never would've expected that from him as he never really stood out amongst all of the students unless it's in Herbology, where he was pretty much Professor Sprout's star student.

Though if he keeps flicking his wand so needlessly like that, he's going to take someone's eye out.

"Line up, you guys," Harry called. I fell into place beside George and Zacharias, ignoring the boy when he scowled and inched away from me as Harry divided the line up and sent the others to stand across from us. Terra was directly across from me and waved lazily when we made eye contact. He paced up and down the middle, fingering his wand as he did so. "Stunning is one of the most useful spells in your arsenal. It's sort of a wizard's bread and butter, really."

Some of the girls giggled at that, Cho obviously being one of them. Harry's face flushed and he cleared his throat awkwardly. He came to a stop at the opposite end and turned on his heels, gesturing forward a Gryffindor second year named Nigel, who did so hesitantly. Harry held his arms out invitingly, wand held loosely in his hand. "Come on then, Nigel," He said. "Give it your best shot."

Nigel was stiff for a few seconds before, seemingly bracing himself going by the expression on his face, thrusting his wand out like he was about to throw a baseball. " _Stupefy!"_

There was the sound of something invisible whooshing through the air and the next thing I knew, Harry let out a surprised grunt as he was sent flying back and Nigel stumbled backwards, falling to the ground as Harry's back connected with the grates behind him. I winced along with the others. Nigel's Stunner wasn't strong, much less cast correctly, but that impact had to have hurt.

"Not bad," Harry grumbled as he pushed himself up into a shaky sitting position. "Not bad at all, Nigel. Well done." Despite Nigel's sprawled form, his smile was as bright as the sun at Harry's praise. Finally back on his feet, Harry brushed himself off and took a deep breath. "We're gonna make a game out of this," He began, a smile tugging at his lips when many of us perked up. "Not only are we going to be perfecting this spell, but we're going to test how fast you can cast a spell. This is a good practice for your reaction times and it'll give you the chance to hear plenty of feedback from everyone in the room. Partner up and I'm gonna call a pair up and have them square off."

Not wanting to choose one of the Twins and risk another guilty conscious, I sped across the floor and latched onto Terra, who merely grunted and accepted my clinginess with all the grace she could. I gave Fred and George a sheepish smile, though they didn't seem all too surprised. George actually laughed at me while Fred shook his head exasperatedly.

Ron and Hermione were up first as everyone got situated back in their spots with their chosen partners close by. I claimed my original spot by George with Terra separating Zacharias and I this time around as Ron whispered something to Hermione, whose eyes sparkled with barely suppressed mirth.

"Thanks, Ronald," She said somewhat sarcastically, her voice carrying as Ron got into position across the room.

"Come on, Ron!" Some boys cheered, clapping animatedly.

"He's gonna go flying," Terra said softly, smirking. I giggled into my hand, knowing she was right. Hermione definitely had this one in the bag. Not taking his eyes off his brother, I watched Fred lean closer to George.

"One sickle," He betted quietly.

George smirked. "You're on."

"You're supposed to be with your brother, not against him," I chastised George in a mock stern voice. Both just gave me identical smirks and didn't say anything.

Ron looked very confident standing there, wand raised and a small smirk on his face. Hermione, on the other hand, gave none of her thoughts away, her face carefully blanked and wand steadily pointing at Ron. His mouth opened, but Hermione was already casting a spell before he could get a syllable out.

" _Stupefy!_ "

Ron flew off the ground with a completely unmanly squeak, landing with a hard thump a few feet away from his original spot. Terra's muffled snort of laughter was barely heard over the noises of sympathy from some of the other guys and the enthusiastic claps from the girls, who wasted no time in converging on a smiling Hermione.

Fred grudgingly thrust a sickle into George's waiting hand. "Thank you," George said lowly, smiling.

"Shut up." I giggled into my hand at Fred's disgruntled look.

Ron stiffly made his way closer to his brothers, face the tiniest bit red and looking embarrassed. "I let her do that," He said uncomfortably, obviously attempting to regain some of his lost pride. Terra snorted again, shoulders shaking with silent laughter. She couldn't seem to look at Ron with a straight face as Fred crossed his arms and gave his brother a disbelieving arched brow.

"If you say so, Ron," I teased, catching Hermione's eye and giving her a grin and thumb's up. Her smile widened before her attention was recaptured by one of the Patil twins. She was practically glowing.

Harry separated all of us after a minute of letting Hermione bask in her achievement, giving us instructions to practice the spell on each other, but obviously holding back so we didn't seriously injure one another. Terra dragged me to a corner of the room that she had claimed as ours with the Twins not too far away facing off against each other. After the incident with Zacharias during the first meeting, Harry had moved the haughty Hufflepuff to the farthest corner of the room that he could, along with many other students in his path to prevent any more _wandering_ spells from the Twins.

"He just takes the fun out of things," Fred had grumbled to me after the second meeting in which Harry had scolded him for aiming an Impediment Jinx at Zacharias numerous times throughout the lesson.

"Not that I don't think he doesn't deserve it because he is kind of a prat, but you were being a bit disruptive, Fred," I had said as gently as I could to the proud redhead. George's laughter and Fred's indignant excuses had followed me all the way to the Common Room that particular night.

"Try to hold back, Terra," I said tauntingly.

Her sneer would've made even Professor Snape proud and given Malfoy a run for his money. "Not in my nature," She returned coolly. Her wand flicked up and mine immediately followed. " _Stupefy!_ "

I ducked under the red light, surprised at how fast the spell had travelled the short distance between us. " _Stupefy!_ " I couldn't hear the spell Terra said, but the red beam aimed at her suddenly ricocheted off course, hitting one of the Sneakoscopes and soundly breaking it. "What spell was that?" I asked, astounded. I had never seen a spell be redirected like that before, not even in Charms when Flitwick had to prevent off course spells from hitting him.

Terra smirked. "Land a hit on me and I'll tell you," She bribed, still crouched and ready. I narrowed my eyes at her and gave my wand a flourish, crying, " _Impedimenta!_ " as a turquoise light racing towards her. Not expecting anything other than the Stunning Spell, Terra fumbled out of the way and dodged the spell sloppily.

She glared at me.

I smiled.

"What happened to practicing the Stunning Spell?" She asked sarcastically.

I shrugged. "It's not a hard spell. I've had that spell mastered since last year." Hearing from Parvati about Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts lessons kind of made me wary of wandering the school grounds with little to no knowledge of offensive spells with dangerous creatures so close by, but a trip to the Library for a book on offensive spells remedied that quite easily.

Terra took quick advantage of my unconsciously-lowered guard, already shouting the spell before I could react. " _Stupefy!_ " The spell connected with my stomach, throwing me off balance and sending me skidding across the floor. I grunted when my back connected with the wall, groaning at the pain that flared up from my spine.

Something in my lower back popped and immediate relief filled my body.

"Hayden!" Terra's face was suddenly right in front of mine, hands awkwardly hovering over me and looking unsure of what to do. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't think I'd hit you that hard," She exclaimed, brown eyes wide and worried. "Is anything hurt? Broken? Please tell me I didn't hurt your spine. I thought I heard something crack!"

"Probably because you did," I grunted, pulling myself up. Terra's hands carefully grasped my biceps and helped me into a sitting position. She looked like she was two seconds away from flipping her shit on me. "It's all good," I reassured her, smiling widely. Her lips pulled into a frown and I knew she didn't appreciate my attempt to brush it off. "Trust me. My entire body is like a Rice Krispies treat. Everything just crackles and pops at the littlest movement."

She was trying to fight it, but the beginnings of a smile were starting to form.

"This is the best I've felt in days," I said, stretching. Proving my point some more, audible cracks raced down my spine all the way down to my hips, which I purposefully twisted my body to create more popping noises that had Terra wincing. She inched away from me.

"There's something wrong with you," She grumbled, rubbing her face as she stood up. I grabbed her offered hand and was a bit surprised at how easily she pulled me up. Terra wasn't short, but she sure was skinny and didn't look like she had a lot of muscle on her.

"Hardly."

"You alright, Hayden?" Harry asked, hurrying over with Fred and George right behind him.

I beamed at him. "I'm good!" I chirped. "Terra just caught me by surprise." I rubbed my stomach through my shirt, grimacing. "Though I feel like I just got punched in the gut by a kangaroo."

"I didn't even put that much force behind it," Terra protested.

"It certainly doesn't feel like it," I shot back sarcastically.

"What's a kangaroo?" George whispered to Fred, who shrugged helplessly. Harry's lips pursed with held back laughter, but he kept it in spectacularly.

"But you are alright?" He pressed. I gave him and the Twins two lazy thumbs up. Both redheads breathed a sigh of relief before casting strange looks at each other. I tilted my head, unable to decipher what exactly the look was before giving up and looking at Terra. "So about that spell?" I wheedled.

A blond brow raised. "You never hit me," She reminded.

"Your point?"

"The deal was to hit me and then I'd tell you," She reiterated. My lips pulled down into a pout and I gave her the best puppy eyes I could. It worked often on Mom and sometimes Hailey, but I hoped it would affect Terra somehow. She shifted under my pleading look and snarled under her breath before caving. "It was a Shield Charm," She said shortly, no doubt irritated with herself.

I felt immensely proud for making the stiff Ravenclaw cave under pressure.

"That's a pretty advanced spell," I praised. Terra's cheeks reddened.

"Potter could do the spell when he was fourteen," She downplayed, inclining her head at Harry. "It's not that hard of a spell if you have the conviction for it."

I liked the suddenly contemplative look on Harry's look and I knew that he was probably already planning a new lesson on Shield Charms in the near future, but I was far too impatient to wait for that day to come. "Teach me?" I asked.

"I'll think about it."

"I think you've just lost points with her, Hayden," Fred and George stage-whispered to me. Terra's answering smirk confirmed their remark. I whacked both of their shoulders and turned my nose up at them.

"Shut up."

* * *

Lately whenever the weekend came around, nobody saw hide nor tail of me. They would hound me the second I came back to the Common Room late at night, all curious as to where it was that I always disappeared to. It was easy to indulge at first, but after a week, it started to get irritating. Not even my glare of death deterred the more curious ones. I was about to start threatening bodily harm soon if it didn't stop.

Fred and George didn't even know where I went, but they asked once and only once before I shot down that question faster than they could comprehend I had said no to them. They had blinked in surprise before shrugging and moving on to a different topic. It was a welcome change compared to all the other nosy idiots that couldn't take a hint.

Truthfully, I had my reasons for not being seen all day.

"A Bezoar is...a goat stomach, right?"

"Close. It's a stone _taken_ from a goat's stomach."

"Darn..."

"You were half-right. Don't get too depressed on it."

 _Especially since Snape wouldn't have docked you a full point for that answer since you're one of his._

One reason was that I would never get time alone if I stayed in Gryffindor Tower all day. Someone wanted something from me every hour of the day—though it was mainly the Twins who constantly wanted my attention—and frankly, I could only take so much socializing.

Another reason was that despite my company, I took the time to do all of my essays and readings in peace with nothing but my thoughts and his questions to distract me.

Though the main reason I disappeared off everyone's radar was that I couldn't be seen in public with him and he seemed to understand, though not as in depth as I would've liked him to. The cynical part of me desperately wanted to crush that naivety of his and open his eyes to what was really happening, but I could never do that to anyone. Not even Malfoy if the prat was ever innocent to begin with.

All of Gryffindor would never see me the same again and I hated how I was so concerned about what my own House thought of me. I never cared before, but I knew why I started now.

I couldn't bare the thought of Fred and George looking at me like I had betrayed them again.

"Asphodel and Wormwood are part of the Draught of Living Death, right?"

I nodded my head, pleased that he was slowly starting to catch on.

"I think I'm finally starting to get it," Elliot stated, blue eyes sparkling like diamonds. They were the purest eyes I had ever seen.

The shit I would get for willingly tutoring a Slytherin would be unimaginable, especially if news got out that I had been meeting up with him for almost a month. Despite how young and obviously innocent he was, Elliot was still a _Slytherin_ and me, as a Gryffindor, helping him was the biggest betrayal my House could ever see.

 _House rivalries are so damn stupid anymore._

Ever since Elliot's run-in with McLaggen, whom had been suspiciously absent lately, I had only ever seen the short, blond-haired boy briefly in the hallways and at the Slytherin table during meals. He was almost always followed by a girl close to his height with brown hair and a resting bitch face that could almost put my sister to shame, though the smile she reserved for him and only him was sweet and rather adorable in my eyes. I figured that's all that I would ever see of the kid, which was fine and dandy, but something in me worried for the weaker boy who had tugged at my heart that day with McLaggen.

I was no closer to understanding that sensation than what I was feeling for the Twins.

So imagine my surprise when out of the blue, the weekend after the first D.A. meeting, Elliot had approached me—thankfully on one of the rare occasions I was alone—and tentatively asked me for help on his Potions homework. He had squirmed under my scrutinizing stare for a full minute before I'd asked, "Why me and not one of your own?"

He'd shuffled in place, muttering, "Professor Snape was the one who had recommended you and I thought it would be a good idea since you helped me."

My body had warmed at the boy's sincere response, but more than that, I couldn't grasp my mind around the fact that Snape had pointed Elliot in my direction when I knew for a fact Malfoy was a far better brewer than I was or that there had to be plenty of other Slytherins who excelled in Snape's class. Then again, the arrogant blond and the other bumbling idiots probably would've turned Elliot down before he could even speak.

I thought Snape was acting a bit out of character, but I kept that to myself and agreed to tutor Elliot, who had smiled thankfully and proceeded to ask days and times that would work for me since he had more free time than I did.

"You are," I agreed, watching how he carefully wrote his answers down in his large, but very neat, handwriting. He wasn't the fastest learner, but he was picking it up at a steady pace that didn't make me want to pull all of my hair out. "It's just little things that you need to fix. After that, you'll be golden for your final."

Elliot looked up at me. "You think so?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes. "If Ronald Weasley can scrape an Acceptable in Potions like he has been despite never studying, you can at least earn an Exceeds Expectations from the effort you're showing."

"You don't think so highly of him, do you?" Elliot laughed.

"I don't think highly of many people, but he's definitely lacking in the Common Sense Department."

"That sounds a lot like some of the first years in my House," He admitted, closing his ink bottle and cleaning the tip of his quill with his sleeve. "Some of them aren't the brightest."

I figured that was Elliot's way of saying that he thought they were all incredibly stupid or something. I chuckled and leaned my cheek on my palm, lazily glancing around the empty library. It was starting to get late, which means that we both would have to leave before Madam Pince could kick us out.

"Your Head of House must be disappointed," I said.

Elliot shook his head. "More irritated, I guess. He got mad at one of the boys the other day because he really screwed up a Forgetfulness Potion _and_ he accidentally dumped the whole cauldron on his partner, who was pretty out of it for a couple days. Professor Snape wasn't very happy."

"I can imagine," I replied drily, imagining the scowl on the black-haired professor's face. He really was a sour man.

"How have your classes been?" Elliot asked conversationally, turning in his seat to look at me after putting away all of his things in his bag.

I shrugged. It was sort of comfortable to talk to the younger boy despite his House and he made for a great listener. Against my will, I couldn't help but label him as a sweetheart. He was just too kind to be a Slytherin and that definitely threw the stereotypes I always heard for a loop. "Busy," I said loftily. "Every Professor is determined to drown us in assignments before Christmas and it's a challenge to keep up with it, but I've managed."

"That's good," Elliot said, looking relieved. I wondered why he was so concerned, but threw the thought aside after realizing it was just how he was. I had a good grasp of his personality after these past two weeks and it was a relief that he had no ulterior motive behind these studying sessions. "I've heard from some of the Slytherin fifth years that it's a struggle to keep up."

"Oh, it is," I admitted and smirked when Elliot sputtered at me, "but it's only a challenge to force myself to sit down and _retain_ all of the knowledge my Professors want me to remember. If they're procrastinating, I can understand why it's a struggle."

Elliot hummed. "I bet that's why it's hard for them. I've never seen them doing homework in the Common Room or here in the Library."

"Probably," I agreed. I leaned closer to him and he blinked at my quieter tone. "How's your shoulder doing, by the way? Was Snape able to heal it without sending you to Madam Pomfrey?"

Elliot cringed and rolled said shoulder. His hand came up almost unconsciously and rubbed it. "It's been alright," He said, looking uncomfortable. "It hurts when I rotate or lift my arm a certain way, but I've never dislocated my arm before, so I figured that it was normal."

"It'll ease up after a time," I assured him. "McLaggen hasn't been bothering you, has he?" If he was, that would explain why I haven't been seeing him and I wouldn't hesitate to go back to Professor Snape to let him know Elliot was still being harassed. Kid didn't deserve the likes of McLaggen constantly hounding his ass for no reason other than what House he was in.

He immediately shook his head. "No, he hasn't." I arched an eyebrow. "Really he hasn't. I haven't seen him since that day in the hallway."

I liked to tie Elliot in with Hailey. She was my sister and I'd do anything for her. Elliot wasn't blood, but the sweet boy was growing on me and I would hate to see him hurt. That was like seeing Hailey being bullied and that was just something I would never tolerate.

Huh. A Slytherin being considered family was a weird thought.

 _I wonder if Harry will make an exception..._

It hadn't escaped my notice how the D.A. had no Slytherins involved, which I could understand why, but after meeting Elliot, I had to wonder if Harry was actually _looking_ at the Slytherins and not letting the stereotypes that had been fed to us dictate what he saw. There was no defending the older Slytherins, but a lot of the younger years were just as kind as Elliot was, though they hid it behind a mask they had more than likely learned from their parents. It was easy to look past the fake arrogance and general dickishness now.

Elliot was young and he wouldn't be able to learn a lot of what we were learning since his magic was still so new and weak, but if he started learning now...

 _He'd be stronger. He'd be able to protect himself. He'd be just like us, a student who was here to learn magic and graduate._

Practice for next week was cancelled since the Gryffindor and Slytherin match was next weekend and Angelina was forcing daily practices on the team, but maybe I could steal Harry after a practice one day next week and talk to him and hoped to Merlin he'd see reason. I wanted this to happen, but convincing Harry was going to be a challenge that I was not looking forward to.

"Elliot." His blue eyes latched onto me and held my gaze as I stared at him seriously. "How do you feel about private magic lessons?"

But if Harry wouldn't do it, then I'd certainly will, whether I'd be doing it alone or not.

* * *

 _"What's the verdict this time?"_

 _"Umbridge is still rising the ranks. She's been watching my House more closely lately. I think she's on to us."_

 _"You need to take her attention off of you."_

 _A twitch. "She's not focused on me."_

 _"You said she's been watching your House?"_

 _"Exactly. My_ House. _I didn't say me specifically."_

 _A hand waved. "She might as well be watching you directly. Cause a scene and pin the blame on your rival House or something." It was an order, but one that was easily going to be disobeyed._

 _"It's not that easy."_

 _Pitch black eyes narrowed disdainfully. "Figure something out then. The Dark Lord grows impatient with the constant failures from his subordinates and the Prophecy not already in his hands."_

 _"I am not his subordinate and the Prophecy means nothing to me."_

 _"You may as well be, you insolent fool."_

* * *

 _"You two are filthy."_

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," Fred's garbled voice came out from beneath the tissue he was holding to his nose. Blood was soaking through the white tissue at an alarming rate. It'd been a solid fifteen minutes and it wasn't slowing down a bit.

Angelina was merciless in practices, though she was also very unobservant at times, I noticed. According to George, it had taken her a solid five minutes of him frantically trying to get her attention before she finally realized something was wrong and that, oh shit, Fred's nose was broken and he was bleeding all down the front of his uniform.

I had a hard time deciding if George was being honest or over-exaggerating a bit.

Madam Pomfrey was beside herself when I had walked into the Hospital Wing after hearing from Katie that Fred had accidentally gotten nailed in the face by a surprisingly quick bludger. "Now, really!" She'd exclaimed, scowling impressively. "You are the third Quidditch player in the past two days who has come to me with a similar injury! What are you doing, whacking yourselves in the faces with your bats?!"

Her wand movements were a bit sharper than normal, resetting Fred's broken nose and handing him a box of tissues to try and slow down the bleeding. There was no point using a Scouring Charm if more blood was just going to replace what had just been cleaned up. She'd marched back to her office with the promise of being back and to tell me to make sure they didn't do anything threatening to her Hospital Wing.

Her office door slammed shut and the resounding bang echoed in the Wing.

She was definitely in a mood today.

" _Why_ are you so filthy?" My nose wrinkled at the amount of mud that was on both of their uniforms and was now ruining the pristine white bed sheets. "Did you decide to roll around in a puddle for the hell of it before you came up here?"

"Nothing of the sort," George denied idly. He even had _streaks of mud_ smeared across his face. How in God's good green Earth did he manage that unless someone threw a pile of it at him?

"It's raining outside, Hayden," Fred explained, pointing to the window nearby. Rainwater pelted against the glass violently, thunder booming outside and shaking the castle with its force. Angelina's determination to practice was scary if she was going to risk this weather. "There's gonna be mud on the Quidditch pitch and we're gonna land in it if we want to change."

"You two look like you were pushed into the mud," I bluntly reiterated.

George winced and looked away from his brother's suddenly piercing stare. "Georgie here isn't the most coordinated in the rain apparently," Fred growled, glaring daggers at his Twin.

"I said I was sorry!"

I could already imagine the day Filch would be having when he saw the Great Hall Entrance. He'd throw the biggest fit ever known. Not even Umbridge would be able to appease him.

I shook my head exasperatedly. "You two are ridiculous." I sat down beside Fred, wary of the mud stains and asked, "How does your nose feel?"

"Like I just got punched in the face," Was his sarcastic retort. I whacked him across the head and he hissed when the motion jostled the hand holding the tissue to his nose.

"I could've told you that," I snapped, glaring at him. "No, but seriously. How does it feel? Any better?" Fred sniffed and tentatively pulled away the bloody tissue from his face. His mouth and chin was a bloody mess, though a lot of it was dried and just needed to be wiped off. Madam Pomfrey had done a good job fixing his nose as it wasn't crooked at all. The steady stream from earlier seemed to have finally ebbed off.

"Feels better now than it did when I first got hit," Fred grumbled, frowning when I stopped him from touching his face.

"Don't touch your face with your bloody hand," I said, slightly disgusted.

I wasn't a Germaphobe by any means of the word, but something about his bloody hand going near his face made me want to scrub his hand raw so that I knew for myself that it would be clean.

"Give me your hand," I instructed, pulling my wand out. He did so without much hesitation. I pressed the tip of my wand to one of the clean areas on his hand. " _Scourgify._ " Turning his hand over and inspecting the other side, I was pleased to see that not a trace of blood was left. I could actually see the slight tan of his skin instead of the red blood.

"You're strange, Hayden," Fred chuckled, watching me check his hand. I snorted, absently tapping my finger against the back of his palm. It was a rhythm I'd heard before, but could never place the name of. Something from my childhood that resonated with me.

"I'm not strange," I retorted. "I just don't know how you were prepared to touch your face with your dirty hand." Fred shrugged, unable to give me an answer.

"You are strange," George agreed, laughing with his brother. Blue eyes looked at me almost fondly and the feeling that he was actually _looking_ at me made me want to blush bright red. I'd never had someone actually look at me the way George was. It was...different. "But it's not a bad strange. Just strange."

I averted my eyes, letting go of Fred's hand and rolled my neck, grimacing at the crack that sounded. "It better not be a bad strange," I muttered childishly. "There's more than enough people here who are a bad strange."

"You got that right," They chorused, nodding.

Madam Pomfrey didn't make another appearance for at least another ten minutes, weathered eyes looking just a bit more tired than normal. She looked like she hadn't been sleeping well, which I thought was strange for the school nurse, who always made it obvious that she took good care of herself. Her hand flitted over Fred's still face before giving a satisfactory nod. "You're good to go, Mr. Weasley," She said briskly. "Take better care of yourself, you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Fred assured politely, getting up off the bed. I glared at the gigantic mud stain he left on the once white sheets. Change the brown to red and it'd look like the scene of a crime. I was half tempted to clean the mess up for her and unconsciously started to say the Charm necessary.

"I will take care of that, Ms. Walters," Madam Pomfrey said sharply, noticing me looking at the sheets. I jumped and turned my head to look at her. "There is no need to waste energy doing something that is in my job description." I gave her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, ma'am," I apologized, putting my wand away. She waved my apology off and shooed the three of us from the Wing, shutting the door behind us as we headed back to the Common Room so the Twins could get out of their dirty uniforms. I silently vowed to call Letty later and ask her to specifically tend to those clothes.

"Do not touch me with your dirty freaking hands, Fred Weasley," I growled, jumping up two steps to stay out of his range. He seemed to find it amusing that I was avoiding his reaching arms if the grin on his face said anything. "I will make you _suffer_ if you get mud on my clean uniform."

"Careful, you're starting to sound like Ginny and Hermione," George teased. He made no move to help me and I promised myself that I would make him pay, too, if Fred got ahold of me.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to be clean," I said shortly, glaring at the mischievous Twins.

"You won't make an exception for us?" Fred asked, eyes wide with mock surprise. Before I could get an answer out, George suddenly lunged for me from his position a few steps down. My eyes widened and I yelped when his arms wound around my shoulders and waist, crushing me to his chest and lifting me off the ground. The tips of my shoes didn't even touch the ground at this point.

 _My uniform is going to be so GROSS!_

"Gotcha," George announced, grinning down at me. My whole face and neck heated up with a vibrant blush, scowling up at his laughing blue eyes. I was silently amazed he could even hold my weight up so easily like he was, but being Beaters had to have given them considerable arm strength if they'd really been playing for six years.

I pettily kicked at his shins, scowling harder when he didn't even flinch. My foot started to throb, though. It felt like I had just kicked a stone or something.

"Okay, congratulations, you caught me. Now can you let me go?" I wiggled in his hold for emphasis, but he only tightened his arms around me and further restricted my movement. My heart stuttered to a halt when lips pressed against my forehead above my brow, smoothening the wrinkles that were. His lips were warm and my skin seared at the light tough. I felt so unbelievably hot and I absently worried that I would pass out at this rate.

My heartbeat picked up, beating against my chest like a drum. I wondered if George could feel it.

Suddenly his face was right there and I almost did pass out from how close he was. His breath fanned over my face, fingers clutching my form to his tightly as blue eyes sparkled at me. "Do I get a prize?" He asked lowly, smiling slowly.

 _A prize...a prize...a prize..._

I had to have died somehow. There was no way this was happening right now. George was way too close, invading my personal space and making me feel strange feelings and out of the corner of my eye, I numbly realized that Fred didn't even seem to _mind_ how close his brother was to me. In fact, Fred was _smiling_ at us with the most gentle and loving expression I'd ever seen on him.

It made my heart pick up its furious pace.

My brain couldn't seem to function, my mouth opening and closing as choking noises escaped my throat. Blood roared in my ears, drowning out all other noise as George waited patiently, eyes never leaving my face. I didn't know what to say. What could I say to George after that? I had no idea. I was at a complete and utter loss.

This was way out of my area of expertise.

Another hand pressed itself against my red cheek and I looked up at Fred with wide, wide eyes. That expression was still there, warming my whole body with the feeling of my soul being bared to him. Those blue eyes never looked away from me, not even when he leaned closer and pressed his own lips to the spot George had.

 _No way..._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

CLIFFHANGERRRRR.

I have no shame, I swear. Maybe it's because Christmas is tomorrow that I'm leaving you all hanging like this. xD LITERALLY HAYDEN AND THE TWINS ARE KILLING ME WITH THEIR CONSTANT SKIRTING OF FEELINGS. AND I'M THE AUTHOR FOR GOD'S SAKES.

I just want them to be together already and it's only been ten chapters.

 **A huge thank you to those who reviewed, alerted, and favorited last chapter.** I'm a bit rushed right now since I work in literally 40 minutes, so I'm terribly sorry I can't respond to you amazing reviewers.

You guys make writing this an honor.*Hearts*

PLEASE READ AND REIVEW. YOU GUYS MAKE EACH CHAPTER MORE AND MORE FUN WITH YOUR IDEAS. THANK YOU FOR READING! *More Hearts*

~OQ


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I no own Harry Potter.

 **Author's Note:**

2018 IS HEREEEEEEEE.

I'm not excited or ready for it. Where the hell did 2017 even go? So much has happened last year and it's unbelievable at how fast it's gone by.

Also. THIS CHAPTER IS SO HELLA LATEEEEE. I am ashamed. Work has me scheduled practically six days a week, which is annoying because I'm not allowed to hit overtime at my job despite my being 20 and am more than willing to work my life away just to have money to pay my bills, so my hours are so meticulously placed that I practically know what I'm working before the schedule is even done.

Closing sucks, kids. I don't recommend it even though that's where all the hours are. Working also sucks, but unfortunately that's required.

For some reason, this chapter did not want to be written. I pulled it up many times a day for the past three weeks and stared at it for hours. It was a challenge and this chapter is by far the hardest one I've written so far.

Not much to report other than that, so let's get this baby rolling! Enjoy!

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter E.L.E.V.E.N._

_"Preconceptions"_

 _"In the battlefield, the nice guys always die first. I don't want to see it happen."_ -Unknown

* * *

 _Somewhere in the distance, the faint laughter of a child reached my ears. It sounded vaguely familiar, but this was a dream because no way would I be back in this spot so soon again and without my sister at my side. This place was special to us. I'd feel like I betrayed her if I came here without her._

 _I smiled at nothing and closed my eyes._

 _It was like a dream come true. Warm water_ — _so very unlike the cold weather that has been plaguing us for the past month_ — _splashed against my bare feet, droplets clinging to the skin of my calves before trailing down into the sand. The sun was pleasant against my skin as I experimentally wiggled my toes, digging them into the white sand beneath them and giggled at the silky feeling it brought._

 _I'd missed the feeling of sand and the lake water._

 _A breeze ruffled the edges of the ordinary white dress I was suddenly wearing and pulled through auburn strands, the loose curls whipping against the backs of my arms. Despite knowing I didn't own such a plain dress and that my hair wasn't pulled back, the weirdness of those two things didn't really affect me. It felt like such an unnecessary thing to be concerned about when I felt more content than I had ever felt since school started back up._

 _The lake seemed to stretch on for miles. I could only barely catch the faint outlines of trees on the horizon on the other side. Sunlight made the water sparkle like white gems were just sitting there at the surface, waiting for groping hands to attempt to grab them. There were no boats out on the water, which I thought was kind of strange, but not something I overly cared about. Those noisy boats ruined the peaceful atmosphere that the lake gave off._

 _This lake brought back many memories of days long gone and of family that have long since died and floated up into the sky to be with the other angels. One in particular of when Mom's side of the family came to visit. And boy did she have a large family. I'd never met so many cousins and aunts and uncles in one day. All of whom seemed to know Hailey and I on a personal level. It was strange, but not unwelcome._

 _I took a deep breath in, reveling in the plant-like smell that blanketed the air. It smelt like the trees that surrounded my home and the candles that Mom liked to light through all of our rooms. It smelt like home._

I miss home.

 _Hogwarts was home, but it wasn't where my parents or Hailey were as cheesy as that sounded. They wouldn't ever be able to go there with all the enchantments that surrounded the castle. Not unless I counteracted them or Headmaster Dumbledore allowed them to enter, which I had no doubt would ever happen in the near future. It would cause such an uproar in the Wizarding Community and he certainly didn't need that added on to his already long list of people to worry about._

 _I was far more closer to my parents and sister than my friends if that wasn't painfully obvious by now. Terra was quickly getting up to that point, though, with how often we're together. Maybe I'll take her here one day. To this special, special place. I could only hope that she would love it just as much as my family and I did._

 _My eyes opened._

 _But something felt different here. It felt like it was disturbed. Invaded. No, not invaded. Like something was unsettled. It was a hard feeling to explain. Looking left and right, nothing seemed to be out of place. Everything looked the same like it always did. Nothing seemed out of place to my searching gaze. But I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that filled me._

 _Something definitely wasn't right. Like I wasn't seeing a bigger picture._

Look around again. _Something commanded. I mindlessly obeyed, searching for I didn't know what, but nothing stood out to my eyes. The water wasn't moving weirdly save for the random ripples of fish caressing the surface, no strange noises, no raised voices or cries of distress. It was so peaceful here. Perhaps I was just being paranoid._

No you're not. You're just missing it.

 _What was I missing?_

 _I only barely caught the flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye. My head snapped towards the well-worn path that led into the forest, eyes wide. Whatever had been there was gone, but I knew I had seen it. It definitely wasn't any animal I had ever seen before._

 _A passing wind disturbed the decaying leaves that lay along the path, flinging them into the lake and causing distinct ripples to disturb the otherwise smooth surface. When had the water gotten so still?_

 _There's something in there._

Go, go, _go._ Go in there. Don't wait.

 _What was in there? What would I find if I walked in? Would it attack me? A feeling inside told me that it wouldn't and that it was important. But how could I know that? My head tilted unconsciously as I scrutinized the forest._

 _This felt so familiar..._

 _What is this feeling?_

Only one way to find out.

 _I took a step forward._

 _"Hayden." My foot stuttered mid-step, freezing at the two voices that called out my name. Oh my God. What were they doing here? I couldn't escape them in reality, so now they were taking it a step forward and invading my dreams?_

 _Oh, please no. I'm not ready yet. Don't make me confront these feelings yet. I'M NOT READY. I tried to take another step, determined to ignore the two that were slowly taking up more and more of my thoughts. It became easier to move the farther I got away from them, my steps quickening until the feel of grass tickled the soles of my feet and the path was a mere ten feet away._

 _A hand grabbed mine and another wrapped around my bicep, stopping me in my tracks completely. "Hayden." God, why did they have to sound like that? Like they were genuinely heartbroken that I was ignoring them. This was my dream, damn it. Why were they controlling me here in the one place where I was supposed to be in charge?_

 _Just leave me alone. Please. Don't do this here._

 _My eyes clenched shut as my heart beat rapidly in my chest. I couldn't even turn my head to look at them. "Please let go."_

 _Not to my surprise, I was ignored. I shivered when a cold breath blew across my ear. Mint. "Just wait," Fred whispered._

 _George gave my arm a light tug, not really pulling me backwards, but to gain my attention. "We want to talk," He insisted._

 _"I'm busy right now," Was my excuse. But really, was finding that shadow more important than the Weasley Twins? My heart obviously screamed its objection and told me that it was okay to remain here and just bask in the two dominating presences I had grown used to over the past couple months. My mind, on the other hand, wanted to do the opposite._

 _I was never good at listening to what my heart was saying._

 _I pointedly jerked my arm in George's grip. "Let go."_

 _"No." I blinked, surprised at the sudden firmness in his voice. It was strange to be on receiving end of that tone. He had only ever directed it at Ron and now it was directed to me._

 _I turned my head just enough to see red hair out of my peripherals. I wasn't even looking at his face and my heart was speeding up more so than it already was. Why was this happening? "Let go, George," I demanded, feeling anger beginning to boil in my stomach. It was strange how worked up I was getting. It normally took more than being denied a request to make me feel like this._

 _"No." I was starting to hate that word. Fred squeezed my hand, gaining a quarter of my attention, but the rest remained on George, whose grip had not only tightened around my arm, but was also inching closer to me. He wasn't even trying to be discreet!_

 _"Don't make me hurt you," I threatened, fury leaking into my voice._

 _"You won't," George said confidently._

 _"Is that a challenge?" I hissed, glaring at him out of the corner of my eye. Blue eyes stood out beneath his red, red hair, dark and stormy and just a cloud of emotions that I had never before seen him direct at me before. He wasn't angry...but he wasn't calm either. An awkward in between. Would Fred's eyes be the same if I looked at him?_

 _"I know you won't."_

 _"You don't know me as well as you think you do if you believe that." That hurt to say almost as bad as the language I had spewed at Pansy._

 _"Hayden," Fred warned. I ignored him, more focused on his brother. George, who was normally the more passive and non-aggressive Twin, was practically picking a fight with me. He had it coming if he thought I was just going to sit here and take it._

 _"I'm not Pansy." I stiffened at her name, memories of sharp nails and shouts and petty insults standing out sharply. I hated the reminder. "I'm not giving you a reason to attack me."_

 _Hot anger warmed my whole body at that point. "You will if you don't release me!" I snapped, giving my arm a sharp yank and practically screeched in anger when it did nothing to get myself out of his hold. "I'm not kidding anymore, George! Let go!"_

 _I nearly started crying from frustration when his arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind, his embrace strong and warm and so like George that I would never compare it to anyone else's. Tears began to cloud my vision and I couldn't stop them from falling down my cheeks. Why couldn't he take a hint? His chin rested on my shoulder and goosebumps rose along the skin of my neck as he breathed against it._

Don't let them distract you! YOU NEED TO FOLLOW THE PATH.

 _"Please stay," George pleaded quietly._

 _"I need to go." I ached to wipe the tears off my face, but my arms wouldn't even come close with his own restricting my movement. I wanted to leave so bad. I had to escape these two._

 _"You don't." Fred's face was suddenly_ right there _and blue eyes bore into my watery ones. His breath blew gently across my lips and face and my stomach gave a pleasant lurch. This, I suddenly realized as something in my mind slid into place like a missing puzzle piece, was what I wanted as his hands reached up to cradle my face in his gentle hands, his fingers covering the tear tracks and wiping away the ones that continued to fall._

IGNORE HIM.

 _I couldn't._

 _"Stay right here," Fred breathed, leaning closer and closer as my heart beat faster and faster. It was getting harder to breath, but I couldn't muster up the courage to care. It was okay to not breath so long as he kept coming closer and closer to my lips. "Stay with us, Hayden. Right here." I only barely realized George's arms tightening around me, holding me and doing nothing as Fred's lips came so tantalizingly close to mine before_ —

I gave a violent start, a choked scream crawling up my throat before I smothered it with my hand. I bolted up into a sitting position, breathing heavily into my hands as I stared wide-eyed at the red of my blankets. I could still feel them. Both of them. The heat of George's chest pressed against my back and the warmth of his arms around me, the strength of tense muscles keeping me in place. Fred's hands on my face and his lips dangerously close to touching mine, his smell surrounding me whole and leaving me with nothing else but _him_.

I tried to hold my breath to see if I woke the others from their slumber, but I heard only the deep even breaths of the other girls in the room and it did nothing to reassure me. My breaths continued to come out unevenly from between my fingers. Thankful that I had the thought of pulling my curtains shut at least, I gave a shaky breath and pulled my hands up to cover my eyes.

 _Merlin no..._

My heart continued to beat the unbearably fast rhythm just like in the dream.

* * *

I was not going to dwell on the dream that kept me from going back to sleep. Maybe on a later date, but not today. Today was a semi-important day. So in my typical fashion, I pushed the dream to the very back of my mind to be forgotten until later and took a morning away from the Twins to collect myself. To make it more convincing, I hunted Terra down the second I decided it was early enough to leave the Tower.

I had barely claimed a seat with Terra at breakfast and grabbed a single pancake from a platter when there was the most unholy sounding shriek of surprise and anger echoing throughout the entire Hall. Everyone froze in their seats, including the teachers at the Head Table. Eyes looked around, extremely confused as to where the scream came from. Only I seemed to realize that it had come from the Entrance Hall.

"PEEVES, I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU."

"Can't kill what's already dead, doggy-looking girl!"

Peeves was seriously the best. I owed him and his charming nicknames so much.

Terra immediately turned to me, somehow suspecting that what was happening was my fault. "What did you do?" She demanded, pausing to watch Professors Snape and McGonagall rush past us. "I know you had something to do with this. Spill."

I snorted around a mouthful of pancake, swallowing before smiling slackly. "It's Halloween," I said simply. It was all that I was going to offer and it seemed to be enough because Terra's eyes widened in realization and her head whipped around to look at the ensuring commotion. I nearly lost control of my giggles when the culprit stomped into view.

There was Pansy, tall and hardly proud-looking, drenched in what I assumed to be a whole bottle of ink. It covered a good portion of her, though the lot of it was on top of her head and dripping down her snarling face. Peeves was floating just out of reach, cackling and dripping the last of the bottle on Pansy as she tried fruitfully to catch the Poltergeist.

A few feet away, Davies and Bulstrode were wiping their hands on their robes, apparently not exempt from the original target. Peeves was definitely earning points with me today. It helped that he was more than willing to take the blame for me despite his fear of retribution from Slytherin's House Ghost, the Bloody Baron. He was making a great sacrifice.

"I WANT THAT DAMN THING GONE. HE IS ALWAYS TARGETING ME."

"Language, Miss. Parkinson!" McGonagall snapped sternly.

"Who cares about my language?!" Pansy screeched furiously, her voice reaching some high pitches that made me cringe. Any higher and she'd make our ears bleed. Black ink fell from the ends of her hair as it whipped every which way, staining the floor with black spots. Filch was going to have a work out later. "Look what he did to me, Professor! I am _covered_ in whatever this shit is!"

Peeves chuckled maliciously. "Peevsie wishes the mean dog-girl luck in getting that off." Wicked eyes gleamed at her and he purred, "Hope you like scrubbing your skin off, girly!" He nose-dived straight into the ground, cackling as he went.

"I swear to Merlin—"

"That will do, Miss. Parkinson," Snape said silkily, tone holding no room for anymore back talk from the fuming girl. With his arms crossed loosely and back straight as a pole, he loomed over Pansy, who held her tongue and merely alternated glaring at her Head of House and Peeves. "Go back to your dorm and get cleaned up before classes start."

"What if I can't get this stuff off, sir?!" Pansy exclaimed in disbelief, looking at her Head like he was telling her to go ride a Hippogriff. "You expect me to just waltz around like this?!"

Even from my spot at the Ravenclaw table, I could see the dangerous flash in Snape's eyes and knew he could care less about how us girls looked in his class. Not even his House was spared from such a weak excuse. "I am sure Madam Pomfrey will have some Stain Removal solutions for you if it fails to come off," He said slowly and Pansy cringed at the pitch in his voice. "Now get going, Miss. Parkinson. If I hear you are even a minute late to your Herbology class, you will be serving detention with me for a week cleaning the bottoms of cauldrons."

Many a Gryffindor had suffered from such a punishment and they all had come back with stiff backs and hands sore from scrubbing. It was welcome change to see a Slytherin be threatened with the same punishment.

"He's acting pretty out of character today," Terra commented. I glanced at her, curious. "Professor Snape, I mean. I didn't know he had it in him to give one of his own a detention he normally reserves for the other Houses."

"There's only so much Pansy a person can tolerate," I said dryly. "Even Professor Snape has his limits with his House and their stupidity sometimes."

"Your Gryffindor stereotypes are showing, Hayden."

As if she had heard my name and was drawn to the sound, Pansy's dark eyes cut through the stares of the other students and met my own head on. I arched an eyebrow and waved my fingers in a taunting wave, smiling just a tiny bit mockingly to send her a hint. Confusion was quickly replaced by realization and pure unadulterated anger was visible on her face. I half expected her to come at me with that sort of expression, but she spun on her heel and stomped her way to the dungeons to try and get clean.

A satisfied smirk graced my lips.

"That expression says it all," Terra said, sitting correctly as the Great Hall was filled with chatter again. "I suppose you're pleased with yourself?"

"Something like that," I admitted. "It's only breakfast, after all. We still have a whole day to get through before I'm completely pleased with myself."

"You've planned an entire day of pranking?" Terra breathed, barely reigning in her surprise. "Hayden, what exactly are you up to?"

My smirk turned practically feral. "Karma, of course," I purred, relishing the shock on her face. "Pansy isn't my only target, don't get me wrong, but what Peeves did to her is mild compared to what the other Slytherins will be facing as the day goes on."

With the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match in two days, both Houses were tense with one another. Since last week, taunts and spells had been thrown in the halls from both parties and Madam Pomfrey was starting to expect at least two casualties a day at this point because of spells gone wrong.

Even Snape and McGonagall were getting snappish and breathing down their respective team's backs during classes. The relationship between the teachers got worse when Snape booked the Quidditch field as often as he could, which made Angelina froth at the mouth with being unable to practice as much as she would like.

I figured that everyone could use a day to laugh instead of worrying whether they're gonna be the next ones to get hit by a stray spell in the hallway.

 _And to also get back at certain people._

A cold chill went down my leg. A bell jingled merrily. "Did Peevsie do good, Haydie?" Peeves asked from under the table, his tinkling hat passing through my leg. Terra's knees connected with the underside of the table as she jumped a foot in air and cursed loudly. A couple heads turned our way, but quickly decided they didn't want to meet the blond's scathing glare.

"Warn me next time, will you?!" She snarled, rubbing her knees from under the table.

I ignored her, instead giving Peeves a secret smile. "You did very well," I praised and was rewarded with a baring of his unnaturally straight teeth. "You chose a very good time to get her."

Peeves gave a proud bow before disappearing with a pop.

"It's unbelievable how much control you have over him," Terra grumbled, stabbing her pancakes with more force than necessary.

"It's very little," I admitted to her, amused. "I just know what to say to him."

There was no reasoning with Peeves when it came to handing out orders. He wasn't like the other peaceful ghosts that haunted the school. His very existence was made for mischief and he lived up to that calling well. No one could force Peeves into doing something he didn't want to do, with the exceptions being the Bloody Baron and the Headmaster. But he could be conned into doing something for someone if they knew what to say.

"You're obviously very good at that," Terra said shrewdly. "Keep that up and Peeves will swear what remains of his soul to you."

That was a rather scary thought and not one that I was going to entertain.

"Pardon me, Professor Snape, but are you really going to let that go so easily?" Terra and I practically jumped in our seats from the falsely sweet voice coming from behind us. A glance over our shoulders showed Umbridge standing right there, hands clasped in front of her and smiling her fake ass smile.

Snape arched a slow eyebrow as he and Professor McGonagall stopped their trip back to the Head table. "I fail to see _what_ it was that I let go so easily."

"Peeves will not leave without a fight, Dolores," Professor McGonagall said, looking like this was an old conversation that was being opened up again. Her glasses flashed as she raised her chin. "He does not fear us teachers and he does not fear the Ministry. None of the students have been physically harmed by him, so there is little that can be done."

The look on Umbridge's face was incredibly sour as McGonagall marched past her with Snape right on her heel, billowing robes and all. Seems like she hadn't completely gotten over the prank Peeves pulled on her the first day of classes.

I blinked when a spelled paper airplane landed beside my plate, the wings crinkled like the owner had screwed up and tried to redo it. I carefully unfolded it, wary of Umbridge as she was still lingering nearby and read the short message inside. I smiled just slightly.

Terra leaned over my shoulder curiously, eyes scanning the words before her brow scrunched in confusion. "Who's that from?"

"No one you would know," I said evasively, folding the note and slipping it into my pocket.

 _You didn't have to get back at her, but it's appreciated by me and more of the first years than you might think._

 _-EP_

* * *

It was hard to decide if giving Peeves all those ink bottles was a good idea. He was having way too much fun with them. Other than manipulating the suits of armor and making them clock unsuspecting Slytherins in the head, he was growing fond of emptying the ink on their heads as well.

 _Maybe I should rethink that strategy next time._

Terra snorted as she watched Montague shout when Peeves dumped an ink bottle on his head, the older boy angry enough to throw a book at the Poltergeist, which sailed through him harmlessly. The crowd around Montague parted like the Red Sea as he cursed the ghost terrorizing him. I hadn't given Peeves _exact_ instructions on who he should be targeting, but I had strongly suggested leaving anyone under fourth year in Slytherin alone.

So far, he was thankfully taking my advice.

The girl who clung to Elliot was smirking at her upperclassman's misfortune from her place against the wall by the Transfiguration classroom. She noticed my stare and sent me a polite nod.

This was getting a bit too strange. I had the approval of first year Slytherins.

"That's almost all the boys on the Slytherin Quidditch team," Terra pointed out as we passed Montague being subjected to Professor McGonagall's angry lecture on his language. Really, she should just expect that from anyone fifth year and above. She shouldn't be so surprised by our language anymore.

"Except for one," I said, blond hair and grey eyes flashing in my mind.

Terra gave a feral grin. "I want to be there when he goes after Malfoy."

Unfortunately for Terra, I had already given Peeves _very_ strict instructions to not go after the young Malfoy. While the idea of seeing black ink staining his pale hair and face was amusing, that wasn't what I had planned for him. I had something bigger in mind than having ink dumped on his head by the resident terror.

For the most part, everything was ready. There was only one small complication and that came in the form of the House Elves.

Convincing Dobby and Letty was easy. I had mentioned Harry was in on the prank and Dobby was hooked completely. Letty practically worshipped everything I said, much to my utter embarrassment and horror, so she was easy to convince. It was mainly the others that I had difficulties with as they vehemently objected my requests without coming off as disobeying me. It took all of ten minutes for me to realize that they thought I intended to cause harm to the students and I was quick to correct that misunderstanding.

Their help was essential and couldn't be easily replaced.

While still unsure, they agreed to help with me reassuring them twenty different times that the prank wasn't harmful in any way, shape, or form and that it was just meant to get everyone to laugh. Well, the Slytherins wouldn't be laughing, but the Elves didn't need to know that.

"Don't worry, you won't miss it," I assured her. We both thankfully had a break between classes right now, but we couldn't spend it listlessly. The Library was our destination. We had a lot of work to keep up with.

Terra hummed, pleased. "How is that spell coming along?" She asked.

"Which one?"

"The Shielding Spell, mainly. You've got the Summoning Charm down pretty well, so I'm not overly concerned about it."

I shrugged as we took a shortcut to the Library. "It's coming along," I said. "It's not very strong against spells like _Reducto_ , but it's stable at least."

Hermione was more than happy to meet up with me in between classes to help me practice when I asked her. I felt like she was having too much fun casting spells at me for all the trouble and sass I give her, but she was a great teacher. She offered many pointers that proved to be very useful. We quickly found out, though, that the Reductor Curse was a bit too much against a beginner. My leg was still stiff from landing awkwardly on it.

Terra nodded. "That just comes with practice." She tilted her head, a habit that I had picked up after spending so much time with her. "We should convince Potter to hold a lesson on that spell. It'll come in handy in the future."

"I'm pretty sure he's already ahead of you on that one," I laughed, remembering the intrigued expression he'd worn when Terra had first explained the spell to me. "We might be having a lesson before the Christmas holidays if he can squeeze it in."

"It'd be nice if we could practice more than once a week," Terra grumbled, shifting her shoulder to adjust her bag strap. "We'd get so much more done."

"Quidditch takes priority and you know it." I smiled when she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "It's important to them, Terra. If Angelina suddenly stopped pressing for practices at the field, McGonagall and Umbridge would get suspicious and we don't need that kind of scrutiny."

"I know," She sighed. "It's just frustrating. I already know a good portion of what we've already learned, so I'm just anxious to start something new."

"You could just practice ahead. Nothing's stopping you."

"I know, but it's different doing it in a group compared to by yourself."

"You just like seeing Ron get thrashed by Hermione," I teased.

Terra sneered slightly, though compared to a few months ago, there was hardly any malice in it. "Those definitely are the highlights of the lessons." Her next words had me stiffening and coming to a complete stop. "So when are you going to bring in that cute little Slytherin you've been meeting?" She stopped a couple steps later after realizing I wasn't beside her anymore. She arched an eyebrow at my shocked face. "Was I not supposed to know?"

The hallway was blissfully empty, but the Library was just around the corner and whispers from inside were only just barely reaching my ears. My voice was soft, disbelieving. "How did you figure that out?" I asked softly, unable to believe that she had found out. We had been so careful. What had given us away?

"You're not the only one who hides in the Library on the weekends," Was her simple answer. She crossed her arms. "I overheard you talking and imagine my surprise at seeing a short Slytherin kid asking you easy Potions questions that any fool would know."

"Don't talk about him like that," I defended sharply before I could stop myself. "Everyone learns at a different pace and you—" I stopped at the smirk on her face. I was hit with the urge to put my face through a wall because it felt like I had just given her all the information she needed.

"I'm not gonna judge you, Hayden," Terra said slowly, reading the look on my face. Brown eyes pierced mine with their sincerity and I felt stupid for doubting her and imagining only the worse. "What you do with your time is not my business, but I will admit I'm curious as to why you talk to him." She grinned teasingly. "I thought Gryffindors didn't get along with Slytherins no matter what."

I sighed and ran an aggravated hand through my hair, walking closer and stopping in front of her. I had really wanted this to remain on the down low, even from Terra, but she wouldn't accept some half-assed answer. "I helped him one day and he's latched onto me like a leech," I explained, summing up our whole relationship as loosely as I could. My eyes lowered sadly. "He's not like the others, Terra. He's just..."

 _He's so sweet and innocent and pure and I just want to_ protect him. _Would she even understand how I felt about it? It's so hard to describe my feelings for the kid._

"I get it, I get it," Terra sighed, waving away my words as I struggled to explain my thoughts. "You don't need to go into details. I was just teasing you." She flicked her hair back over a slender shoulder. "No, but really. When are you going to bring him to lessons?"

I shrugged helplessly. "I want to bring him, but I'm just worried how he'll be received. He's a sweet kid and I'd hate to see him look so dejected when he's chased out because of his House."

"Talk to Harry," Terra suggested bluntly, looking at me like I was stupid.

 _I wish it was that easy._

"I've been trying to," I snapped, slightly irritated. She wasn't being very helpful in the advice category. "He's been trapped in practice with Angelina after classes and his nose has been glued to Ron's and Hermione's asses for the past week. I haven't been able to catch him alone."

How Harry could stand to constantly be surrounded by people was beyond me. I could only tolerate human contact for a certain amount of time and when that time was up, I was gone like a shadow to get the space I needed. I'd never seen Harry without Ron or Hermione or even both of them for more than thirty minutes at a time. I wondered if the Headmaster had said something to him about wandering off alone. With what happened last year, it would make sense.

"Then ask for a moment of his wonderful presence after dinner," She said, exasperated. "Blimey, Hayden, it's not hard to ask someone for a private moment. It's not like you're trying to shag him into next Sunday or anything."

Memories of lips descending towards mine and beautiful blue eyes watching me so very intensely had my face flaring up like a beacon. I mentally groaned. Why did she have to say it like that?

* * *

 _"How are you feeling?"_

 _"I'm doing fine. The new medication the doctors have me on make me sleepy, but that's about it."_

 _"That's good. You need the sleep. You're looking a bit peaky."_

 _"Really? Peaky? That's the best word you could think of?"_

 _"I was trying to make a joke, but I guess I failed in that category, huh?"_

 _"Dreadfully. Have you made any friends at school yet? You haven't said anything about it lately."_

 _A pause. "Not really. Not anyone that I can think of, at least."_

 _"Oh...I'm sorry."_

 _"Don't be sorry. I'm not sorry at all."_

* * *

Dinner quickly rolled around and I was practically jumping out of my skin as I made my way down to the Great Hall after my last class. I was so ready to get this ball rolling.

 _Gosh, Hailey would be so proud of me for this particular prank._

Mom would definitely not be, though. She'd probably kill me if I got caught and she got a letter from McGonagall about what I had done. I shuddered to think of her reaction. I'd be a dead man walking.

It'd be in my best interest if I didn't get caught, I decided. Which meant not acting too suspicious. I could do that. Maybe. Hopefully. I made the split second decision to sit near the Twins just in case.

I hadn't really seen much of the Twins today as they couldn't normally walk me to class since they were getting more and more popular with their Skiving Snackboxes, but I wasn't overly concerned. It gave me more time to compose myself before I saw them again. For the most part, I was calm enough to be around them without thinking about the dream and fainting on the spot.

 _That would be so damn embarrassing if I just fainted for no reason. They'd never let me live it down._

I took a deep breath, holding a hand over my heart and willing it to slow down. It's okay. There's no need to start freaking out now. It was just a dream. Just a dream.

 _I wish it was reality..._

The Twins automatically scooted themselves apart upon seeing me, both sporting identical grins that had me smiling fondly. They were ridiculous. "We were just about to go hunt you down," Fred announced. "You were taking so long, we thought you had forgotten it was dinner time."

"Don't sound so disappointed about the loss of a hunt," I deadpanned, hiding my amusement. "You already know where I like to hide most of the time anyway."

"The Library or your dorm," George ticked off. Fred rolled his eyes at the know-it-all tone his brother was using.

"Good guesses," I praised mockingly, indulging him and patting his arm. His grin seemed to get brighter and he practically vibrated in his seat with happiness. I tried not to overthink why that was.

I perked up when the food appeared before us, barely suppressing the evil grin that wanted to show on my face and latched my attention to the Slytherin table. Lee, who sat across from me, noticed the intensity of my stare and turned to look at what I was looking at. "What's that look for?" He asked.

"Just wait," I whispered, nudging the Twins, who were more focused on their food than anything else. They blinked in confusion at me before following my gaze.

Daphne Greengrass was the unfortunate one who picked up a bottle of ketchup first. I nearly choked on laughter when she gave it a small shake, muffling the snorts with my hand. A manicured finger flicked the top open and immediately, her shrieks of surprise filled the Hall just like Pansy's had this morning. As if causing a chain reaction, all up and down the Slytherin table were shouts and complaints as fountains upon fountains of ketchup bombs went off, squirting many unsuspecting faces and once clean uniforms.

I gave my wand a subtle flick from under the table. Every single bottle gave a rattle before shooting into the air, the tips flicking open and raining more of the spelled condiments down on the Slytherin table. Umbridge gave a girly shriek when she was attacked as well, swatting at a bottle that had taken a likening to her.

"Oh, I hope we're here to see her eat that crème in front of her!" I gushed, giggling alongside my House and the other Houses. Elliot was practically beside himself with laughter, face red as Pansy was sprayed in the face with a particularly vindictive ketchup bottle and Malfoy was suddenly a redhead instead of a blond.

Lee ducked under a rogue bottle, face splitting with his grin. "Is it one of ours?!"

"It's the canary crème you guys invented!" I laughed. Umbridge seemed to be the only one struggling with the rain of ketchup as it continued to coat her mercilessly. The other teachers made half-hearted attempts to help their fellow colleague, though Dumbledore was the only one whose wand was in his hand. He had appearances to keep up after all.

I jumped when one of the bombs squirted across my front, laughing as I grabbed it out of mid air and pointed the rest at Lee. He was quick to get to his feet and, eyes glinting evilly, shouted at the top of his lungs, "FOOD FIGHT!"

There were many things that went right during the chaos of a prank gone slightly off course. One was that someone had wonderful aim and managed to hit Umbridge in the face with a decent-sized pastry. Another was that none of us got in trouble, not even when Umbridge demanded someone to claim responsibility.

The most important one, though, was that Fred and George could not stop laughing throughout the whole catastrophe and were still smiling when they gave me a rib crushing hug each before bidding me goodnight.

 _That was definitely the most important one._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WEEE. Jesus God this is late. This chapter really did not want to be shown. I'm not overly confident about it and I hate that there's not much Twin x Hayden action this time around, but hopefully that shit will change. I am the author after all.

HAHAHAHA. Yeah no. I swear this thing has a mind of its own sometimes.

 _Lots of hearts and appreciation to:_

 **LunaSunWolfTigress15:** You're so SWEET, OH MY GOODNESS. I am so happy that you like my story so much! It means the absolute WORLD to me that you like it! *Hearts*

Feelings, you say? HAHAHAHA. Hayden's a stubborn one; she won't admit those feelings if she has anything to say about it. *Laughs*

 **Guest:** I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LAUGHED WHEN I READ YOUR REVIEW. I WAS CRYING LAUGHING SO HARD AND I COULD NOT STOP. YOU LITERALLY MADE MY DAY. xD

 **ElementalGirl1:** I'm literally the world's biggest cockblock. *Laughs awkwardly* One of my best friends read this and she got so mad at me for leaving it where I did that she shouted that at me in the middle of Wal-Mart.

She about got left there and I wouldn't have felt bad.

 **veronicamusica:** Welcome back! I hope your break was FANTASTIC! I'm sorry about the lack of updates. :(

 **EviColt:** MA'AM, YOU'VE BEEN BUSY.

Goodness, your reviews gave me such motivation when I saw them after work. It was such a joy to read them and I can't thank you enough for your kind words and criticism (especially the proof reading stuff. I AM AWFUL AT THAT HAHAHAHAHAHA.)

SHIP ALL THREE! My goodness, my friend was going batshit about it and basically demanded that I just make it a three way relationship and I MUST SAY. THE IDEA IS GROWING ON ME, DAMN IT.

 **Guest:** THANK YOU. *Hearts*

 **Azurai Wolf:** Awwww! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like Hayden as a character and Elliot! Ughhhhhhh. That little boy makes me wish he were real. Gosh he's growing on me like a leech.

YOU'RE DEFINITELY NOT WRONG. I can relate to that. xD That ending KILLED me, I swear. It was so painful for me to cut it off right there. *Cries pitifully*

 **tanithlipsky:** Thank you! I hope it continues to please you as it goes on! *Hearts*

 _End of Responses!_

 **Question from Chapter 9:** I honestly cannot pick the better one, though I'm leaning towards Snape. But I'm biased cause I'm a Slytherin and Dumbledore is slowly losing points with me the more I notice his actions in the movies and the books.

Question for this Chapter: **If you love Pottermore as much as I do, what House do you belong to?**

Thank you so much for reading this guys! The goal this time is to have another chapter done by Sunday and I'm really gonna try! It'll be a bit difficult since I'm meeting my sister for the first time in seventeen years on Sunday, but I'll do my best!

Your reviews definitely helped me get past the stump I hit with this chapter! Any reviews given are loved and cherished and seen! *Lots of Hearts*

Thanks for reading, you guys! :)

~OQ


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

 **Author's Note:**

HELLLLLOOOOOOO. Again. Can I just say that I'm tired of adulting? Can I just go back to being a five year old with no worries other than making sure I take my breathing treatments? No? Well fuck that.

I won't bore you with what life has been throwing at me, but I will give you the basics: 45 hour weeks, Insomnia, Verizon ripping me off and shutting my phone and hotspot off, fake ass bitches, and an annoying ass dog that doesn't know the meaning of personal space and sleep.

Anyways.

READ ON!

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter T.W.E.L.V.E._

_"Fall On Your Knees"_

 _"If there were no mystery left to explore, life would get rather dull, wouldn't it?" -_ Sidney Buchman

* * *

Laughing was clearly heard from where I was sitting on an empty bed in the Hospital Wing. It was loud and obnoxious and very much trying to garner as much attention as possible. I swear I could recognize Malfoy's sneering laugh out of a crowd of laughing people and that definitely wasn't something to be proud of. Not that Pansy's barking cackle was any better.

Annoying prat. I wanted to send a good hex his way if he didn't leave the whole Quidditch team alone with him and his awful song lyrics and theatrics. According to a ranting Angelina, Ron had a hard time ignoring the taunts and jeers sent at him and it affected his playing performance pretty badly. Fred and George were debating whether or not Ron was actually related to them. So far, the answer was that Ron was adopted and had no connection to the Twins.

Ron was going to be the butt of their jokes for the rest of his life at this rate.

I had to suppress the cough that was making its way up my throat as the sterile smell of the Wing flooded my senses, shoulders shaking with the effort and lungs burning. I was not getting sick. I wasn't. But the nauseous feeling that was filling my stomach begged to differ and was making a grand appearance as it rolled unpleasantly.

I was definitely in denial.

"It's rare that you're ever in here other than for a chat, Ms. Walters," Madam Pomfrey said, her voice carrying out to me from her position in her office. She had only recently lit the candles that littered her Wing, the flames casting a warm glow as the last of the sun disappeared over the horizon and shadows flickered against the walls.

"I missed your lovely presence," I quipped, smiling even though she couldn't see it. "And because I heard from a little snake that a friend wasn't feeling well."

On the bed closest to the windows, Elliot lay slumbering underneath the white blankets. Even from across the room, I could hear him wheezing in his sleep and struggling to get the necessary air into his lungs, his breaths coming out in fast pants and cheeks flushed pink. I felt bad for him, intimately knowing the struggles of breathing problems as a younger kid with Asthma. He had definitely caught the worst of the flu going around.

"A little snake, you say?" Madam Pomfrey said distractedly, exiting her office and standing by Elliot, weathered hands fluttering over his cheeks and forehead. She gave her wand a little flourish and a mint green glow covered Elliot's chest and face. She frowned. "It's a miracle that you've managed to gain the loyalty of a Slytherin, Ms. Walters. Not very trusting, they are."

"I wouldn't call it loyalty," I muttered sheepishly. It felt like the furthest thing from loyalty, but I couldn't think of another reasoning as to why Elliot's little friend had approached me after dinner and told me he was in the Hospital Wing having breathing problems and then promptly turning on her heel and marching away as if she hadn't just spoken to me.

Slytherins were so strange.

I didn't know the girl, but I hadn't hesitated in hurrying to the Hospital Wing to check on Elliot after she had left. Anything concerning him worried me senseless and she'd sounded honest in my mind.

Madam Pomfrey huffed quietly as she straightened herself. "He's going to be in here overnight, that's for sure," She said. "He's still running a fever and the buildup in his lungs hasn't budged."

"Sounds like the beginning of Bronchitis," I mused.

"Or Pneumonia," She added, watching me wince and reassuringly saying, "but we're going to keep it from getting to that point."

Hogwarts was definitely lucky to have such a kind and wonderful Matron like her. I had no doubt that there were other and more qualified Matrons, but something about Madam Pomfrey just seemed to fit in here at Hogwarts. I wondered what it would be like if someone else had been here instead, but dismissed the blasphemy of a thought. I didn't want to jinx anyone with my bad luck.

My chest constricted all of a sudden and the cough that I had been fighting to keep in made an abrupt appearance, the Wing being filled with the shoulder-shaking, obnoxiously loud coughs that seemed to rattle my bones. It took every ounce of effort to not panic from my inability to take a breath in, knowing it would end quickly. A minute later and it was over with tears brimming in my eyes and my breath wheezing into the palm of my hand.

"Sounds like you need a night, too, Ms. Walters," Said Madam Pomfrey very disapprovingly, rubbing my back soothingly as I caught my breath.

"I'm fine," I rasped out, clearing my throat and cringing from the stabs of pain that pulled at the tender skin. Madam Pomfrey looked far from impressed, glaring at me until I caved. "Can't I just get some medicine?" I somewhat whined. "The first Quidditch game of the season is tomorrow and I was going to go with Terra!"

With October finally over and November making a grand entrance, flu season was in full swing at the school. It all started with only one little cough and the next thing you know, half the student body is dying and coughing their lungs out and being banished to the Hospital Wing to be taken care of. It had been contained better than most years, but some stubborn students were adamant they weren't sick and had only succeeded in spreading the sickness.

I couldn't deny that I was one of those stubborn students unfortunately.

"You can't just _get some medicine,_ Ms. Walters," Madam Pomfrey lectured exasperatedly. "I can't give you something and send you on your merry way hoping for the best."

"Can I be the exception?" I asked weakly. Her eyes glinted dangerously and I knew I had said the wrong thing. Thankfully, I was saved from her wrath when the doors squeaked open.

Astoria Greengrass blinked, bewildered as she entered the Wing. Blue eyes roved over me before looking towards the Matron. "Is this a bad time, Madam?" She asked. Her blond hair swished in its ponytail, the strands catching the light and casting highlights Astoria _had_ to know about. I found that I was jealous of such beautiful hair. I wished my hair was as flawless as hers.

"Not at all, Ms. Greengrass," Madam Pomfrey excused as she glared at me. I gave her a sheepish smile. "What can I do for you, dear? You're not coming down with the flu, too, are you?" I could imagine she was ready to contain the whole school if Astoria said she was getting sick. I'd get tired of sick students coming and going, too.

"No, ma'am," Astoria denied politely. "I'm just here for my iron supplements. Mother said she had sent you a whole new stock recently since I've run out."

Now let it be known that despite my lack of a social life and friends, I still knew everyone who was in my year in all of the Houses. Astoria was younger than me, but Daphne was in my year and while they were very similar and it was obvious they were sisters, they couldn't be any more different than Hailey and I. Daphne wasn't _mean,_ per se, but she was definitely cold and it was plainly obvious that she was brought up with the Pureblood teachings.

Astoria was more...passive, if that could be considered the right word to describe her. She was quiet amongst the snakes and well-liked given her blood status, but I had never seen her actively partake in the bullying Pansy lead with Bulstrode and Davies despite being apart of that group. I remembered her uncomfortable laugh in Potions and how she had seemed sorry for Lavender when she had gotten that bloody nose.

I wasn't sure how to feel about all the House equality nonsense that had swimming in my mind lately, but it was becoming easier for me to look at Slytherins and not see the assholes the rest of my House saw.

 _Surely she couldn't be as bad as Pansy._

"Your Mother did send me an owl now that I think about it," Madam Pomfrey mused, eyebrows scrunched thoughtfully. She left my side to go look for the said supplements in her office. An uncomfortable silence sat between Astoria and I. Steeling myself, I resolved to break that awkwardness.

"Are you sick?" Oh yeah, that was a good opener. Astoria was a Slytherin and no sane Slytherin would tell a Gryffindor if they were at a weak point or not. I mentally beat myself up for my mistake. Astoria blinked blue eyes at me, suspicion clear as day as she tilted her head in my direction. She seemed to be evaluating me before she deemed me worthy of a response.

"Not exactly," Was all she offered, but in my mind, it was a good start. It helped that she wasn't insulting me or anything. She was already better than three quarters of the Slytherins. I couldn't help feeling like she was lying, though, but I couldn't fault her for it.

"My sister needs to take iron supplements, too," I said conversationally. Astoria didn't look at me, but I had the impression that she was still listening to me when she didn't move a muscle. "She's got Anemia, you see, so she relies on those pills when her blood count gets too low. She doesn't need them as often compared to when she was younger, but they're not going away anytime soon."

Speaking about Hailey seemed to hit a spot in Astoria as her eyes seemed to soften and her jaw relaxed. Astoria and I were like night and day, but we shared a common sibling despite the different ages and relief hit me when she began to relax.

"I am sorry to hear about that," Astoria said slowly. Ocean eyes met mine and the sincerity in them was true. "I wouldn't wish the constant day to day supplements on anybody. They are quite the pain."

It never failed to surprise me how well-versed and how proper Purebloods truly are. Manners were beat into Hailey and I at a young age, so I at least considered myself knowledgeable in conversation etiquette, but listening to Astoria talk made me feel like a bumbling five year old who was struggling to say a full sentence without stuttering. Granted, a lot of Purebloods were in Gryffindow, but they were far more lax compared to those in Slytherin. It was such an obvious difference and it was shocking.

 _Slytherin takes only the best and the most pure of blood. How true._

I waved off her apology easily. "She doesn't mind them as much anymore. She hates how big the pills are, though. They're gigantic horse pills that are difficult to swallow."

If Astoria was confused, she didn't let it show and just rolled along with me. She gave a small smile. "Magic has its perks. Mother had my pills made to dissolve instantly once I put them in my mouth."

I idly wondered what sort of deficiency Astoria had that required her to take the supplements. Looking at her now, she wasn't showing any of the symptoms Hailey did when she needed to take her pills. If anything, she looked fit as can be with an ivory complexion and alert eyes. But then again, maybe she just knew her limits and knew when it was appropriate to take a pill before she reached that stage of it being noticeable to someone who was watching.

I bemoaned for my sister, dramatically putting the back of my hand to my forehead. "Hailey would be so jealous. I'll have to write to her soon and tell her what you told me." Astoria coughed into her hand, but I could hear a muffled giggle when I heard one. I grinned crookedly at her.

"You sound close," Astoria commented softly. She sounded almost sad and, dare I say, envious.

"It took some work," I admitted, shrugging lightly. Memories of high pitched screams and angry crying brought a fond smile to my face. We had spent a good quarter of our lives fighting and just never getting along. Every little thing set one or the other off and with it came a feud of revenge that never seemed sated. I couldn't remember what it was that had brought us closer together, but I could clearly remember the day we clicked and our irritation with each other just seemed to vanish.

Judging from Astoria's tone, I was almost sad for her that she and Daphne probably didn't get along very well. Mom had always told me siblings were meant to be treasured and that we always had to look out for one another no matter what our age was. I knew Hailey had my back and she knew I had hers. The trust there was strong and the loyalty to each other even stronger.

To hear that my family of Muggles trumped something against the Pureblood Greengrass family wasn't as...satisfying as I once thought having one up against a Pureblood would be.

Astoria hesitated before quietly saying, "Daphne and I don't really have a close bond regardless of the small two years between us." That was definitely sadness in her voice. "We weren't really around each other much when we were younger since Daphne was being taught how to be the next Head of our family despite being a girl."

It was heartbreaking to me that Astoria wasn't experiencing the bond a sibling should have. I realized that there was more to being a Pureblood than what was actually being shown just then. I had really only ever known the kind of bond the Weasley family always showed day in and day out, so I had come to the conclusion that all Pureblood families were like them, ignoring their Blood Traitor status, of course.

 _I had never felt so wrong in my life and hated that I had judged them so quickly._

"Maybe that can be fixed," I said lowly, almost thoughtfully. Astoria, who looked surprised, didn't get another word in before Madam Pomfrey appeared with her pills in hand. Astoria gratefully tipped them back and dry swallowed them, cringing at the taste. She thanked the Matron, gave me one last glance, and then hurried from the Wing just as the chime for curfew rang.

"Why am I always late?" I groaned, hopping off the bed I was sitting on. I wandered over to Elliot, who was still sound asleep and breathing heavily. I carefully brushed back the blond bangs that stuck to his forehead, smiling when he shifted in his sleep and sighed. I ran the risk of catching what he had more so than I already did being as close as I was to him, but I didn't really care much.

"Hayden." Looking over my shoulder, I was surprised to see Harry peeking through the doorway. He beckoned me out, nodding to Madam Pomfrey, who returned the greeting as she fixed the sheets I had rumpled. I gave Elliot's bangs one more brush before gently touching his hot cheek with my cold hand.

"Get well soon, kid."

* * *

Poppy watched the long auburn hair she had grown so used to seeing over the years disappear through the door behind the young Potter boy, shaking her head fondly at the girl. She had grown onto her like leech, refusing to let go, not that Poppy minded at all. She enjoyed the girl's company and her strange quirks. She reminded her of someone long gone and it definitely wasn't in a bad way.

Poppy sighed and sat down at the Slytherin boy's feet. "How long are you going to pretend to be asleep, young man?" She asked. Blue eyes blearily opened and the boy gave her a hesitant smile that seemed to take more effort than should be strictly necessary. Poppy decided that he would be with her for at least a solid week before she even thought about releasing him. To her medical eye, he looked positively miserable and frail.

"When did you know I was awake?" His voice was scratchy and it made understanding him difficult, but not impossible. Poppy levitated a cup of water from the sink in her office, helping the boy sit up and holding the cup as he drank greedily.

"Ever since Ms. Greengrass came in," She said, Conjuring the cup away and lowering the boy back to his original position. He gave a small wheeze when his head connected with the pillow, chest heaving as he caught his breath. "I'm surprised Ms. Walters never realized you were awake. She's normally more aware."

Pale cheeks that were already pink burned even more and he ducked his head shyly. "I wasn't really being discreet," He said. Poppy almost smiled at the embarrassed boy.

While she never left the Wing as there was always something to do, Poppy had eyes and ears all around Hogwarts. She knew a lot of the student gossip and the frustration certain teachers had with some students. She wasn't left out despite what the whole body thought. She'd heard all about Hayden rescuing the boy from McLaggen and although she was hurt the boy didn't trust her to come to her for help, she was relieved Severus could be relied on. She knew how Hayden was tutoring the boy in all of his classes and how she looked out for the boy when he wasn't looking. She also knew about the little secret group Potter was leading, but she was going to pretend she didn't know anything about that.

Poppy almost chuckled when she recalled Hayden sending a seventh year Gryffindor to her after he had tricked Elliot into the trick step on the first floor staircase. The girl loved her House, but she didn't have any sort of loyalty to those who bullied the younger ones. To have the loyalty from this boy was a step in the right direction.

"You are very lucky to have someone like her as your friend, Mr. Phillips," Madam Pomfrey said, handing the boy a sleeping concoction. The bright smile she received said it all.

"I'm grateful," Was all he said before he drank the potion given to him.

* * *

Harry was agitated.

About what, I couldn't say, but he was walking heavier than normal and God damn, his footsteps were so loud on the silent staircases. Hopefully there were no teachers nearby seeing as we were out past curfew.

My stomach gave a hard lurch and I had to swallow the nauseous feeling that was rising up my throat. Oh God, please don't get sick right now. I absolutely hated throwing up in front of people. It was so embarrassing and gross and just _ugh._

Maybe I should've listened to Madam Pomfrey after all.

"Did you need something, Harry?" I asked when we reached the fourth floor and he hadn't said anything. He stopped on the step above me and turned, looking conflicted and unsure and nervous.

"Your friend said you wanted to talk to me," He said. Slightly dumbfounded, I didn't know what he was talking about until it hit me and my hand very nearly connected with my forehead. A stream of curses flew from my lips.

I was going to kill Terra. I could just imagine the pleased smirk on her face and the peace sign she would give me when I caught her tomorrow.

"I did want to talk to you," I said grudgingly, cursing Terra's name mentally, "but I wanted it to be when I was ready to ask you and I was positive."

Harry tilted his head. "Positive about what?"

I hesitated in answering him. Living by what my Mom had always said when posing a yes or no question, the worst someone could say to me was no. There was no need to get hurt feelings over it, but instead to find a loophole and to go that route instead. I had other options if Harry denied Elliot a place with the group. I was confident I could teach him and with Terra in the loop now, she would be of great help, too.

If Harry said yes, it was just the matter of convincing the others that Elliot was different compared to the other Slytherins and that he was there to learn and grow just like we were. I felt like that part would be hard, but I knew convincing Harry to actually agree to this would be the most challenging part.

In all honesty, half of me wanted to lie and make up a question to ask Harry. I didn't know what Terra was thinking, forcing me into this situation sooner than I was ready for, but for her to do this, she must've known I was stalling for time and that it was quickly running out for me with the Christmas holidays only a month away.

I never was a liar to begin with anyway.

 _And regardless of what he says, I have a backup just in case._

"There's someone I want you to let join the group," I began, phrasing my words carefully. Seeing his interest, I continued. "He's young, but he wants to learn." Well, I want him to learn, but that information is irrelevant to Harry.

"Do I know him?" I'd be surprised if he did. Harry hardly ever paid attention to the younger students in any of the Houses. Except if they were Slytherins. He was always watching them.

"Very doubtful," I said. His eyebrows furrowed. "He's a first year, but—"

"Blimey, Hayden," Harry interrupted, green eyes wide behind his glasses. "He's younger than Nigel and Colin! You can't be serious."

"Age shouldn't matter," I retorted. "So what if he's younger than Nigel and Colin? What's one more year going to do? The sooner the better, I think."

"I don't know," Harry said, unsure. "I agree that the younger they start magical fighting, the better off they'll be in the future, but a first year..." Harry ran a hand through his messy hair. "I don't know how I feel about that."

"You let Colin's younger brother in and he's only a second year," I argued. "Harry, if you won't include Elliot, then I'm insisting you set an age limit. I understand the difference between a first and second year is vast, but that shouldn't stop you from including someone who wants to learn how to defend themselves."

Harry's lips pursed and it hit me then that I was getting him worked up. "Who is this kid?"

"His name is Elliot Phillips."

Harry made an impatient hand motion and I almost scowled. "What House is he in?"

 _Game point right here._

Bracing myself, I said, "He's a Slytherin."

Like he had been doused in cold water, Harry's face blanked and his lips twisted with disgust. "No, Hayden."

I hurried to explain. "Harry, please, hear me out—"

"My answer is _no_ ," Harry said shortly, looking away from me. He took a step up, preparing to leave. "We can't trust those snakes and you know it. After all they've done, you want to bring one of them into a group that isn't supposed to exist? That's asking for trouble."

"Broadcast our meetings louder, why don't you," I snarked sarcastically. "Harry, please. Listen to me for a second. Elliot isn't like the other Slytherins."

"That's what they want you to think."

"Stop interrupting me and let me finish!" Beyond the point of caring, I snapped at him and watched green eyes widen just slightly in surprise. I hated it when people interrupted me and it was high time Harry knew that and got it through his thick skull. "I have reasons just like you to not trust Slytherins, but I'm being _serious,_ Harry. Elliot really isn't like the others."

Harry tilted his head, contemplative. He crossed his arms and said, "I'll listen, but that doesn't mean anything more."

"That's all I'm asking of you," I said, glaring at him. "I caught McLaggen terrorizing Elliot down the Defense corridor at the beginning of the year and while I'm not completely Pro-Slytherin here, I disliked McLaggen more than I disliked an unknown Slytherin kid, so I chased McLaggen off after he hurt Elliot." Just remembering Elliot's dislocated shoulder had waves of pity run through me.

"Hold on, McLaggen actually hurt him?" Harry looked shocked and so disbelieving. Underneath all that animosity and hatred, I knew Harry had a heart for those who were hurt. I hoped to Merlin or whatever God was out there that he never lost that side of him.

"He dislocated his shoulder," I stated coldly, righteous anger coursing through me. Elliot was only eleven years old. Why should a boy that age have to go through bullying as bad as that? The answer was that he shouldn't. No one should have to tolerate that no matter what their beliefs were or what House they belonged to.

I sure as hell didn't and I never would.

Harry had the sympathy to cringe and he seemed to lose some of his anger as he deflated. "I had no idea..."

"You wouldn't know because you're so sure that every single Slytherin is like Malfoy and the rest of them," I said harshly before adding, "and because it's not common knowledge. I haven't told a soul and neither has Elliot. I'm assuming Snape and McGonagall hunted McLaggen down and punished him appropriately seeing as I haven't seen him in awhile, so he hasn't been able to spread his latest _achievement_."

Harry looked like I had thrown him a complete one eighty, expression ashamed and just slightly remorseful. I felt bad myself for being so mean to him. He was having as hard a time as the rest of us, if not harder, and I wasn't helping him any losing my temper like I was.

"All I'm asking is for you to give him a chance," I said, lowering my voice to a gentler tone. "He's a good kid, Harry, and he deserves to be taught."

He ran a hand down his face, closing his eyes. "Let me...give me time to think about it." That was better than his first answer. I'd take it for now. I had barely climbed past Harry when his quiet voice stopped me in place. "That kid in the Hospital Wing...was that Elliot?"

My heart grew heavier in my chest imagining the sickly blond-haired boy struggling to breath. I felt like I was going to actually be sick if I didn't leave Harry any second now. "Yes," I whispered before hurrying up to Gryffindor Tower and leaving Harry back on the fourth floor with my words and his thoughts to mull over.

I was starting to grow supremely fond of a little snake and I wasn't feeling an ounce of regret. To hell with House rivalry and all of that nonsense.

* * *

 _"What are the rest of your Housemates like?"_

 _A brief pause of consideration before a page of a new book was turned. "They're alright. Suspicious bunch. They have their groups and all that just like everywhere else."_

 _"That's it?"_

 _"What were you expecting?"_

 _"I don't know. Certainly not that. You make them sound super boring and lame."_

 _"They are boring and lame." Another page was turned. The book was sadly coming to an end and that was a tragedy because it really was a good read. Shame that it was so short. One couldn't unread what they have already read. They'd always remember it somewhere in the recesses of their memories._

 _"I don't believe that at all. Doesn't your House symbolize cunning or something like that? Doesn't that mean drama or something?"_

 _An amused smile. "Something like that, I guess."_

 _"You suck at explaining stuff. That doesn't answer what I asked."_

 _"Be more specific next time, you dolt." It would never be admitted that this particular House was far from cunning. If anything, it was the total opposite. He had been completely misinformed. The poor kid didn't deserve to hear the ugly truth._

* * *

Saturday was proving to not be my day and I had just woken up from a rough night of sleep. I had forgotten to draw my curtains, so bright sunlight shone down on my face from a window with a harsh intensity that only came from the winter season approaching. Frost lined the glass and I could hear the wind rattling against the castle and creating a loud whistling that hurt my ears. Add on that I still felt nauseous as all hell and that just meant I was going to have a bad day.

I shivered as I sat up and the blankets fell around my lap. The dormitory was positively freezing despite the furnace in the center of the room still burning. I couldn't imagine how the rest of the castle would be like later on. I thought it was bad enough that I had to bundle up underneath my uniform for the past couple weeks, but I was seriously debating carrying my blanket around with me.

"Letty," I called. A small _pop!_ was heard and Letty was right there beside my bed.

"Miss called for Letty?" She asked.

"Is there anyway you can make furnace burn a little hotter tonight?" Letty, who suddenly seemed to realize how cold it was in the room, gave a small tremble before bobbing her head enthusiastically.

"Letty will do that for you and the other students, Miss!" She snapped her fingers and then she was gone.

Bracing myself for the cold floor, I almost jumped back into bed when the pads of my feet connected to the ground. I quickly changed into my layers, being quiet as Parvati was still sleeping seeing as I had woken up a bit earlier than normal and throwing a red and gold scarf around my neck as I raced to escape the cold room.

There were only a few students and staff members in the Great Hall when I walked in behind a bunch of Hufflepuffs, though it was rapidly filling up. Seeing as the Twins and Jordan weren't at the Gryffindor table yet, I started towards the Ravenclaw table when I spotted Terra's blond hair.

"Prepared to lose today, Walters?" Malfoy called from the Slytherin table. He was leaning on the palm of his hand, smirking as Pansy hung off the silver and green sleeve of his uniform. Her lip had finally healed, I noticed. Not even a scar remained.

"Seeing as we've never lost to Slytherin yet, are you prepared to lose?" I asked instead, arching an eyebrow and openly laughing when his cheeks flushed. Pansy scowled at me.

"You better hide behind your little gang of redheads when we win, Walters!" She taunted.

"You better hide behind that big ass forehead when we win, Puginson!" Down the Slytherin table, Astoria barely caught herself from loudly choking on her cereal while Pansy sputtered around the laughter of some of the younger snakes. Elliot's friend was amongst the group who was laughing heartily, slapping her tiny hand against the table as she wheezed with laughter.

The dislike she felt for Pansy must be strong if her reaction was that uproarious.

"I'm so proud," Terra joked when I finally sat down beside her. "You didn't straight up attack her like you did last time."

"I'm learning to control my anger," I deadpanned as I pulled a plate of pancakes and a bowl of fruit closer to me. Hopefully eating something light would help ease my stomach.

"The day you learn control your temper is the day Dumbledore shaves his beard." Terra suddenly looked over her shoulder and she nudged me. "Weasley looks about ready to pass out."

True to her word, Ron looked like absolute shit. It was like he hadn't slept a wink the night before and his face was looking oddly green. He also wasn't touching any of his food, though Harry seemed to be making a valiant effort to force him to.

"Luna, what on God's green Earth are you wearing?" My jaw dropped when I finally noticed Luna about to walk past me. How I missed her, I'll never know.

She was clearly supporting Gryffindor in today's match, wearing lots of reds and golds, but what really took the cake was the very detailed, very life-size looking lion's head that was perched precariously on top of her head. She gave a dreamy smile that didn't match with all of her accessories and seemed wholly unconcerned with the people laughing and pointing at her.

"I'm supporting Gryffindor today," She said, pointing unnecessarily at her hat. "Look what it does." She reached up and tapped the hat with her wand. It opened its wide mouth and gave an extremely realistic roar that made everyone in the vicinity jump. I grinned. I was very impressed.

"It's good, isn't it?" Luna said happily. "I wanted to have it chewing up a serpent to represent Slytherin, you know, but there wasn't time..." Luna sighed sadly before waving us goodbye.

"I wonder about that girl sometimes," Terra mumbled when Luna drifted away towards Harry and Ron. "She's not always there."

"I think she's brilliant," I defended her, picking at an apple slice. "In her own special way, of course. I just wish she could've added in the dead serpent to that hat. That would be really cool, wouldn't it?"

Terra rolled her eyes. "If you say so."

Fred and George never showed up for breakfast, which kind of upset me since I wanted to wish them good luck before the match, but the feeling was dropped when Terra stood up, saying it was time for us to head down to the pitch.

The air was icy as we ventured outside, but the wind that I had heard earlier was gone and the sun was blurred behind pearly white clouds. I was no Quidditch player, but this seemed like good playing conditions to me if one just ignored the cold.

 _Why did I even agree to this? I hate the cold..._

Oh, that's right. Because Fred and George threatened me with becoming a test subject to their new products if I didn't show up. Asses.

"Not that way," Terra said, tugging me out of the crowd of students. Some classmates looked at us in confusion before moving on with the flow of the crowd that was heading up towards the stands. I blinked, somewhat bemused. "I don't do crowds very well," Terra clarified, urging me to follow her. "There's no room to even breath up there, so I just wait for the Quidditch team to leave the locker rooms before following them out to the tunnel."

"I guess that's one way to watch a Quidditch game," I muttered, following the blond as she peeked into the locker room and pushed the door open when she saw no one was in there.

Both teams were already suspended in the air when we stopped at the edge of the tunnel, all the players sporting looks of distaste and mutual hatred. Something glittered weirdly on the green uniforms of the Slytherin team, but it was too small for me to make out. Some type of song was being sung in the student section across the field, but like the weird glittery things, I couldn't make out what was being said.

Madam Hooch's shrill whistle blowing had me jumping in place. The balls were released, the Snitch taking one little lap around the pitch before disappearing, and the game began.

Lee's commentary immediately filled the air. "And it's Johnson, Johnson with the Quaffle, what a player that girl is. I've been saying it for years, but she still won't go out with me—"

"Jordan!" That was Professor McGonagall. Terra snorted with laughter.

"Just a fun fact, Professor, adds a bit of interest—and she's ducked Warrington, she's passed Montague, she's—ouch—been hit from behind by a Bludger from Crabbe...Montague catches the Quaffle, Montague heading back up the pitch and—nice Bludger there from George Weasley, that's a Bludger to the head for Montague, he drops the Quaffle, caught by Katie Bell, KatieBell of Gryffindor reverse passes to Alicia Spinnet and Spinnet's away—"

I'd never paid much attention to Quidditch before now. I'd never been interested in the sport, but watching the game and the Twins tossing Bludgers at the Slytherins was something entirely different to what Dad watched at home. It felt like the risks were higher.

"Ron's not having a good first game," Terra pointed out, indicating the flustered redhead as another point was awarded to Slytherin. The game was sitting at twenty-nil right now, which I was assuming wasn't that awful since Terra didn't look too concerned, but I silently hoped the team would pull back.

"What the hell are they singing?" I asked, annoyed when the song I had heard from across the stands suddenly got louder. Terra tilted her head, listening for a second before she grimaced. It was then that I finally understood what was being sung.

 _Weasley cannot save a thing,_

 _He cannot block a single ring,_

 _That's why Slytherins all sing:_

 _Weasley is our King_

My vision swam red and I bared my teeth in a snarl, snatching my wand from sleeve. "I ought to jinx them straight to the bottom of the Black Lake for this," I growled furiously.

"Don't let it provoke you," Terra admonished, but her blue eyes were bright with as much anger as mine. She crossed her arms tightly, her fingers digging into her blue and bronze jacket. "That's what they want from you. Try to ignore them."

Ignoring them was proving to be a challenge when the lyrics were practically belted at the top of all of their lungs at that point. I noticed Pansy leading the Slytherin supporters as a conductor, her back to the pitch and voice joining the rest.

 _WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN,_

HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN...

"—And Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell tanking up the pitch—" Lee was making a valiant effort to drown out the song, though it was practically deafening and his voice was barely heard over it anymore.

Ron let in two more goals and there was now an edge of panic to the Gryffindor team as they fought to catch up. Harry was doing laps around the pitch as he hunted for Snitch. Malfoy was close behind, head swiveling as he searched.

"Yikes, they're not doing so hot today," Terra winced when Crabbe lugged a Bludger at Alicia and nailed her in the side, the wind knocked out of her as she visibly sagged and tried to catch her breath.

"Poor Angelina," I said. "This has got to be hard on her."

It was then that Harry suddenly went into a straight nose-dive, Malfoy right there beside him as the Snitch flickered a golden light. I gasped when they got unnervingly close to the ground, Harry's hand reaching and Malfoy groping desperately alongside him. It was over in two breathless seconds. Harry's hand closed over the Snitch and held it victoriously over his head.

Only Terra and I noticed the look on Crabbe's face and the quick swing of his bat.

"POTTER, LOOK OUT!" Terra's cry was a second too late. Harry startled at her voice before the Bludger connected with the small of his back and he went careening towards the grass that was thankfully only five feet below him. Madam Hooch's shrill whistle blew as the stands cried, jeered, and shouted their outrage and Angelina dropped to the ground beside Harry and helping him sit up.

"That son of a monkey's ass," Terra cursed. "That was a low blow!"

I didn't hear her as I sprinted out of the tunnel and towards Harry and Angelina. The rest of the team had just barely touched the ground before I skidded to a stop beside Harry.

"Are you alright?" I demanded breathlessly, fearing that he may have fractured something. Harry gave a wheezed cough before accepting mine and Angelina's hands.

"'Course I am," He grumbled, wincing when he pulled something sore.

"Harry, I'm so sorry," I apologized, drawing his attention away from a happy Angelina, who was happily exclaiming that they won. He gave me a confused look. "Terra and I saw Crabbe swing at you and we were too late in warning you." He was cut off before he could even get a word in.

"Saved Weasley's neck, haven't you?" Malfoy snorted to Harry. "I've never seen a worse Keeper...but then he was _born in a bin_...Did you like my lyrics, Potter?"

"They were very amusing, Malfoy," I snapped at him, forcing Harry to turn away and face his team before he could rise to Malfoy's bait. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ron making his way slowly back to the changing rooms alone and made to urge Harry in that direction.

"We wanted to write another couple versus!" Malfoy called, ignoring me for once as Harry was hugged to death by Katie and Alicia. Merlin damn it, couldn't they see I was trying to get him away from an obviously sore Malfoy?

I nearly jumped out of my skin when two pairs of arms yanked me away from Harry and off the ground as they crushed me to their chests. "You came, Hayden!" Fred and George cheered, both redheads grinning down at me. I offered them a small smile, not bothering to return the hug since they had my arms trapped.

 _I wonder if they remember kissing my forehead all that time ago..._

 _How long has it even been?_

Merlin damn it. I hated my mind.

"Of course I did," I said, raising my voice to be heard and hoping the redness of my cheeks could be played off as me being cold. I hated how the Twins affected me and how my body seemed to warm and tingle around them. "I don't want to become a test subject to you two and Jordan."

"—we couldn't fit in _useless loser_ either—for his father, you know—"

The Twins seemed to realize what Malfoy was talking about. Their arms stiffened around me and they slowly lowered me back to the ground, looking around at Malfoy with equally dangerous expressions. I grasped their uniform sleeves, feeling very anxious all of a sudden. The nausea that had plagued me all morning burned in my stomach, spinning circles within me. I swallowed the bile that wanted to make an appearance.

"Leave it," Angelina commanded, blocking Fred's view of Malfoy. He ignored her, staring straight through her.

"Fred," I said softly, grabbing his arm and tugging on it, doing the same to George. "Ignore him, let's go back up to the castle." Neither of them budged at my words. Malfoy was hitting a sore spot with him and George insulting Molly and Arthur like he was.

 _This is bad. This is really bad. What do I do? God, I need an adult. Where's McGonagall or Snape when you need them?_

"—but you like the Weasleys', don't you, Potter?" Malfoy said, sneering. "Spend holidays there and everything, don't you? Can't see how you stand the stink, but I suppose when you've been dragged up by Muggles even the Weasleys' hovel smells okay—"

"Malfoy, will you shut up?!" I yelled angrily, grunting with effort when George almost tore me from my spot, but was stopped by Harry. I lost my grip on Fred and was relieved when Angelina, Alicia, and Katie stopped him from leaping at Malfoy, who was laughing openly. "You don't know what you're talking about! Take the loss and get out of here already!"

"Or perhaps," Malfoy continued, leering as he backed away, "you can remember what _your_ mother's house stank like, Potter, and Weasleys' pigsty reminds you of it—"

George was like stone beneath my hold on him and I knew I literally only had seconds to react before he did something stupid, but if I let him go, I'd have no change of stopping him. At the same time, if I didn't do something to shut Malfoy up, it was only going to stir the fury that was no doubt burning in both Fred and George. And Harry from the look on his face.

I bit my lip harshly, unsure what to do. It turns out I didn't have to do anything. Malfoy's voice was abruptly silenced and a loud slap was heard. Blond hair billowed behind Terra as she stared coldly at Malfoy, hand still raised and fingers quickly reddening. A bright handprint that matched Terra's hand was blooming on Malfoy's cheek. He stared at her, stunned as he cradled his no doubt throbbing cheek.

"That's enough out of you, Malfoy," She said lowly, dropping her arm. "Instead of being a sore loser, take the rest of your team and leave the pitch before our Head of Houses get down here to question us." Terra turned and pointed a commanding finger in the opposite direction. "That includes you guys as well. Get going." Her tone received no arguments from us as Angelina took control and ushered the team and myself off the field.

I wrapped my arms around Fred's and George's, hanging my head as I took deep, even breaths to calm the storm inside me. Their fingers grazed my sides and I could imagine the worried looks on their faces. "You two are both idiots," I breathed.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So it's currently 5 A.M. right now, but I do promise that I will do ALL of the responses in the next chapter since I have to be up in five hours to take a family member to the hospital for her follow up appointment.

Thank you all SO much for reading! And I'm so very sorry for the long wait. Your reviews fuel me and always make me smile when I read them! THANK YOU.

~OQ


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:**

I consider it a serious achievement that I didn't make you guys wait a stupidly long time for this next update. I'm actually quite proud of myself. Also please ignore any mistakes I know I've made in this chapter. I pinky promise, cross my heart and hope to die that I will go back and fix any wrongdoings that I've missed.

Anyway.

OH MY FREAKING SWEET BABY JESUS. YOU GUYS. THE MOST AMAZING THING HAS HAPPENED TO ME AND 3 DAYS LATER AND I CAN'T STOP SMILING.

As of April 1st, 2018, I can officially cross off meeting James and Oliver Phelps and getting a picture with them off my bucket list. By the Gods, I was so happy to see and meet them. They are so unbelievably sweet and my heart was just racing the whole time I was talking to them and they were so kind. Just. UGHHHHHHHH. They are honest to Goodness my celebrity crushes and there is no shame in me for admitting it out loud.

If you don't know who they are, my heart has officially just broken because how can anyone not know who the Weasley Twins are in real life. *Cries*

READ ON, EVERYONE!

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter T.H.I.R.T.E.E.N_

_"Who Knew"_

 _"No dream is too big when you truly understand abundance is your birthright."_ -Fearless Souls

* * *

"How could you do something like that?! Are you both out of your minds?!"

I was almost beside myself with fury, pacing the length of the Room of Requirement while Fred and George lounged on some body-sized pillows. Both were still garbed in their Quidditch uniforms with red hair messier than normal and faces stung pink from the cold. A fire roared along one of the walls, warming the room comfortably and chasing away our shivers.

I knew Fred and George had tempers. They rarely made any appearances, but I knew they simmered beneath the surface of their laughing faces, just waiting for the right time to come out. They were family boys just from watching them and Ron and Ginny over the years. I knew that's how Molly and Arthur raised them to be. I could understand how they felt hearing Malfoy talking shit about Molly and Arthur. I would've raised Hell itself if anyone dared say anything bad about Hailey.

But that didn't mean they should've reacted the way they had. They had played right into Malfoy's hands and I had no doubt that was his goal from the get go.

"Hayden, you're wearing a hole in the ground," George called. He patted the empty seat between him and Fred, clearly inviting me to come sit with them to calm down. I didn't take said invitation.

I rounded on them furiously, eyes blazing and scowling. "Are you even listening to me?!" I cried exasperatedly, throwing my hands up. I didn't wait for them to answer. "Do you realize what you both almost did?! I oughta rip you a new one for being so damn stupid!"

"I think she's mad at us, Georgie," Fred stage-whispered to his brother.

"I think so, too, Freddie," George whispered back.

I gave a frustrated scream, resuming my pacing and running my hands through my hair. Unbelievable. Fred and George were no doubt very smart. They wanted to start a business, for Merlin's sakes. Said business had no official location yet, but the products they produced were a hit with the students and that was already a great start to their future. But they were so dense and thick-headed and weren't seeing the bigger picture.

 _Why are boys so dumb sometimes?_

"Were you guys even paying any sort of attention to the crowd that was watching you?" I asked, trying to calm down. My hands were shaking and it felt like my blood had chilled. I was spooked and for a completely justifiably reason. Fred and George had been so close to getting in some serious trouble and they didn't even realize it.

Both boys at least took the time to think back, but not to my surprise, they shook their heads.

"Umbridge was there," I whispered, seeing her toad-like face in my mind, her fake smile firmly in place and hands folded in her lap. The Twins both scrunched their noses and grimaced, but I could see that they hadn't quite gotten the bigger picture yet. "Don't you understand?!" I burst out. Angry tears clouded my vision and I wiped away the ones that sat at the corners of my eyes.

Fred and George looked startled at my expression, looking at each other helplessly.

"Umbridge is looking for anything to use against us," I explained. I wrapped my arms around my stomach. While the bout of nausea from yesterday had subsided to a degree, I still wasn't at full health and I hoped it wasn't plainly obvious that I was sick. "Especially Harry. You guys getting all riled up because of something _Malfoy_ of all people said is like Christmas coming early to that woman."

Fred bristled. "He insulted Mum and Dad," He said coldly. I barely suppressed a wince at the frostiness in his voice. "I wasn't going to let him get away with it, Umbridge be damned." George, seemingly agreeing with his brother, but not liking his tone, nudged his brother sharply.

"I didn't say you had to do nothing about it, Fred," I said quietly. I could feel my shoulders slumping in, trying to make myself feel smaller as if that would protect me from his temper. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't have gotten as angry as you did with Umbridge literally yards away and watching you like a hawk."

"You would've done the same thing we did, though," Fred argued. He was getting himself riled up again and didn't seem to realize his voice was rising. "If Malfoy had said something about your family, you wouldn't have hesitated to hex the little prat straight to Sunday regardless of who was watching!"

I hated how loud Fred was getting. I never liked it when people argued or fought or so much as raised their voices at someone. Why should they scream at each other when they can sit down and talk it out civilly? The random screaming match couldn't be helped, but when it was done for no reason? I couldn't stand it. I felt my own temper begin to rise to the surface.

 _No, no, no. Calm down. It's okay. He feels slighted and his pride is hurt. Keep your cool. Keep your cool, damn it._

"Fred," George warned. I was shocked when Fred ignored his Twin, icy eyes focused on me. The room seemed colder, colder than what it was outside solely because of the frigid expression on Fred's face.

"My situation is different than yours," I said lowly, digging my fingers into my jacket. I wished I had taken it off. Focusing on the pain of my nails digging into skin kept me grounded more than my clothes.

 _Keep it together._

"No, it's not," Fred disagreed, sitting up from his slouched position and resting his arms on his knees. George followed suit, looking between us nervously. "They're exactly the same. You're just being a hypocrite."

My patience had never snapped so fast before. Not even when Pansy got in my face and called me a Mudblood.

 _I could never handle being called a hypocrite._

Especially if the person calling me that was Fred of all people.

 _It felt like he was ripping my heart right out of my chest and he didn't even seem to realize he was doing it._

"You're calling me a hypocrite?!" I exclaimed angrily, my hands dropping to my sides to clench into tight fists. "Look who's talking! You're no better than I am, Fred Weasley!"

I needed to stop. I had to stop talking. I was letting my anger get the better of me again. Fred was bitter and angry and hurt. He was just taking it out on me. He needed the outlet. I knew that, but I couldn't stop my own fury at his hurtful words. It burned, bright and hot, inside of me, nearly clouding my vision until it focused only on Fred.

 _Jesus God, SHUT UP. Don't do this again._

Wounded faces and sad blue eyes...I never wanted to cause such expressions again. I had to shut up. _Shut up._

"At least I own up to it!" He retorted. He jumped to his feet and suddenly, I was very intimidated by him as he seemed to grow in height. "You're just denying and running away from it like a coward!"

I had never been afraid of Fred before and the same could be said about George. Despite the fact that I get anxious being around someone who towered over my diminutive height, Fred and George had never frightened me. I knew they wouldn't use it against me and therefore wasn't wary standing in front of them or at their sides.

But right now, Fred was starting to make my heart race and it wasn't a good racing this time.

 _I was starting to get scared._

"I am not running away from anything, Fred Weasley!" I snapped defensively, ignoring my racing heart and the urge to run from the room. He wasn't wrong. Not at all. I was wanting to do the very thing he accused me of and that made me a coward, but I couldn't stop the fear that was coursing through me. I was never very brave in the face of what I feared most. "Stop making such mindless accusations and take your own advice for once!"

"The same could be said to you, Hayden!" Fred snapped back. "You can't stand there and tell me you wouldn't have fought for your family's name if someone insulted them to your face! I know you! You wouldn't have tolerated that!"

 _He does know me. I never would've allowed that to slide. But I'd be caught at wand point before I ever admitted it aloud to him at this moment._

"I never said—"

"But you basically just insinuated that!" Fred interrupted. He actually took a step forward and my whole body tensed. My vision narrowed even more onto him and my breathing began to pick up. I couldn't seem to think rationally. My body wasn't responding to my desperate pleas to calm down. All I wanted to do right now was to flee the room and never look back. "You keep saying that our situations are different, but how?! How are they different?!"

"Because I have nothing to lose like you two do!" I cried out before I could stop myself as Fred took another step closer to me.

"Fred!" George jumped to his feet and blocked his brother's view of me, his hands grasping the sides of his face and forcing Fred to look at him. "You need to calm down! You're scaring Hayden!"

Fred blinked slowly at his brother, confused before looking over his shoulder at me. I couldn't imagine what he saw when he looked at me, but from the way his face paled, I knew it wasn't the best. My body was trembling, whether it was from fear or anger or being sick or stress didn't seem to matter, but I could _feel_ myself shaking like a leaf in a bad storm. Hot tears were marking tracks down my cheeks and refused to stop no matter how hard I rubbed at my eyes. I couldn't seem to stop crying.

 _Why am I crying anyway?_

I hated feeling like this in front of them. Why should they see me at such a low point when I had no reason to be so low? It was embarrassing and I felt completely and utterly _humiliated_ and I wanted to _leave._

Fred was suddenly right in front of me, derailing that thought as he winded long arms around my back and _crushed_ me to his chest. With my ear pressed so tightly against him, I could hear the hard thumping of his heart, the beat almost equal to that of what mine was. I could imagine he could feel it, too. Fingers tangled into my hair, gently grasping, but never pulling, as Fred seemed to almost want to mold his body to mine with how tightly he was holding me. I couldn't move a muscle to fight even if I wanted to.

"I'm so sorry." His words were mumbled into my hair and if I ignored how loud my shaky breaths were and the blood that pounded like a drum in my head, I could hear his own heavy breathing against my crown. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Taking a second to gather myself, I grasped fistfuls of his uniform on both sides, the material giving underneath my fingers. He didn't seem to mind my death grip, so I tightened my hold. Why had I gotten so angry so fast with him? "It's okay," I whispered.

This felt so right. For some reason, despite what I had felt not even thirty seconds ago, I had never felt so comfortable having someone holding me the way Fred was, like he thought I was going to slip away like water if he didn't hold on hard enough. His grip was bruising and was only slightly painful, but those seemed so irrelevant compared to the sense of security and calm that I was feeling. This was okay. It was okay.

 _Why am I feeling like this?_

I pursed my lips and pressed my face more firmly against Fred's chest, trying to drown out my thoughts. Eventually I'll face them.

Just not right now.

"I don't have anything to lose like you two," I repeated my earlier words quietly. How Fred heard my mumbled words was beyond me, but he did and he let go of me to stare down at my face. George, whose face was more than concerned and something else entirely, tugged his brother back to his seat. Fred went willingly, carefully grasping my hand and leading me back as well.

He looked relieved when I followed him and didn't say anything when I didn't join the Twins in sitting down.

"What do you mean?" George asked after sharing a silent look with his brother, both boys staring up at me attentively. I felt left out all of a sudden. That look seemed to hold an entire conversation that I was banned from knowing, but threw it aside as a sibling thing. Hailey and I could do the same thing when we were on the same page.

"Think about it," I begged them, rubbing my face of any tear tracks. A headache was making itself known, pounding against the front of my skull like a drum and making the corners of my eyes twitch. "Umbridge can't do anything to me that will honest to Merlin faze me."

"She could expel you," Fred quipped, attempting for humor. He smiled weakly at my glare, reading the expression clearly. "Sorry, please continue."

"It's common knowledge that I'm a Muggleborn student with no magical extracurricular to my name. She holds no sway over my parents and she can't politically hold them without a reason. Me hexing Malfoy is hardly a good reason, you two!" I said indignantly at their arched eyebrows and disbelieving eyes. "I've spent the past five years doing that and the worst I've gotten out of it is a detention with Filch."

I'd like to see Umbridge go after my family. The woman was no doubt very underhanded in her methods, but she wouldn't touch my family if I was still breathing.

"But if Malfoy goes to Umbridge about it, isn't that reason enough?" George asked. "He comes from a _respectful_ ," He spat that word out grudgingly, "family that is part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight and with his Father whispering in the Minister's ear, his family is at a place that could land you in a lot of trouble if he complains to the right person."

"I'm not worried about that," I said, though internally, a small part of me was. Malfoy honest to God could have me expelled if he really wanted to, but five years of hexing him for saying a derogatory word and no punishments other than detentions eased that worry marginally. "I'm pretty confident that even against Fudge and Malfoy Senior, Dumbledore and McGonagall will keep my ass safe."

I can't rely on those two, though, especially if Umbridge plans to stick around. I was on her shit list and made it plainly obvious that I didn't support her. There was only so much my Head of House and the Headmaster could do to keep me out of serious trouble. George was right. I'd have to lie low from now on or at least until Umbridge leaves.

 _Cause that woman will be leaving whether she wants to or not. She won't be sticking around if the other students have any say in the matter._

"Anyway, stop interrupting me!" I snapped with no real heat. The Twins held their hands up in defeat and gestured for me to continue. "You both come from a good family despite what the other Purebloods say about you." Fred and George knew I would never truly mean calling them Blood Traitors, but the word left as bad a taste in my mouth as someone calling me a Mudblood. "The Weasleys are just as influential as the Malfoys, maybe not in the political sense, but still influential. Umbridge could drag your whole family through the mud if she wanted to. And with you two being in Quidditch, she could probably take that from you as well."

"She wouldn't dare," Fred said harshly. George had a suddenly contemplative look on his face and I knew he was making the same connections I had.

"She would dare," I shot back. "Fred, she's the _High Inquisitor of Hogwarts._ Right now, she's at the same spot as McGonagall, who is the _Deputy Headmistress_. She has that power and she's proven that she will use it. Who did you go to when she disbanded all of the Quidditch teams? You went to McGonagall, right? And what did she say?"

"I will go talk to Dolores," George whispered. His throat clenched as if he had swallowed something too big and looked vaguely sick to his stomach.

"That's right. Not even McGonagall could do anything about that Educational Decree. If you two and Harry had gone after Malfoy like you were no doubt planning to, you guys would've been _screwed_."

"We would've been banned," Fred said lowly, eyes wide. His mouth dropped and he looked unable to comprehend what he had just said. "She would've banned us without a doubt."

"Exactly," I said. "The only thing that saved you was Terra and she won't get away with slapping Malfoy the way she did."

"She'll take the full brunt of it," George realized. Fred blinked before he groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "Your friend, she'll—"

"I think she knows what it was that she was doing," I murmured. Terra would never admit it, but she was protecting Harry and the Twins by slapping Malfoy. Umbridge would've looked for any excuse to go after the boys, but with Terra doing what she did, she actually had someone to pin that blame on. "Terra's not stupid. She must know the consequences."

Sometimes I hated Terra and her logic and self-sacrificing ways.

 _You're no better yourself, sweet cheeks._

"We let a girl take our punishment," Came Fred's mashed up words. He was still cradling his face in his hands, fingers tangling into his hair. "We let a total innocent take our punishment because we're too stupid to control ourselves." George cringed and looked ashamed. It was good that they both realized what it was they had done, but Terra wouldn't take well to their pity if they saw her and tried to apologize to her.

"Would you be saying the same thing if I had done that?" I asked. Blue eyes bore into mine. What would they say? I mentally cursed at my racing heart again. "Malfoy was literally only one more word away before I would've done the same exact thing Terra did."

If I was to be honest, despite my big talk, I wasn't one for physical violence. Hailey and I had gotten into our little scraps when we were younger, but that was a sibling fight. There was no real heat behind that. Okay, so maybe I had punched a girl for calling my sister fat when I was little, but again, I felt like that wasn't meant with any real heat or any intentions to cause a lot of pain.

Pansy...had been the first person I had ever truly hit to hurt. I had actually left visible wounds on her that had stayed for weeks. They had bled and scabbed over and healed, but the memory was still fresh in my mind. Pansy didn't deserve any pity from me, but it made shivers run down my spine just remembering what I had done to her despite knowing she would've made the same wounds on me if I had given her the chance.

Malfoy had been so close to being added on to a mental list of people I had meant to hurt if Terra hadn't jumped in when she did.

What was it Dad used to call me when I was younger? A pacifist? Yeah, that's the word. I was a pacifist at heart underneath all of my big talk.

 _It shouldn't, but the guilt would've eaten me alive if I had slapped Malfoy._

George slowly climbed to his feet, watching me watch him. He approached me like he was coming towards a wild animal, careful and with measured strides that gave me plenty of time to move if I wanted. His hands were burning hot as he cupped my face, applying just enough pressure to urge me closer to him. I resisted him for just a second before I reluctantly stood on my tiptoes, my stomach flipping when he bent to be closer to my face.

Merlin damn it, pleasedon'tfaintpleasedon'tfaint _PLEASEDON'TFAINT._

Ignoring my headache, I felt very lightheaded all of a sudden and it felt like all of the blood in my body had decided to make a personal visit to my face and skull.

"We wouldn't have let you," He whispered. The lightest pressure fluttered against my lips and I felt like my whole body short-circuited. My stomach squeezed tightly, realizing that George was literally so close his lips brushed against mine when he spoke. He had to back up. Dear Merlin, he had to know what he was doing to me. He couldn't _not_ know.

I could barely focus on what he was saying to me, much less comprehend it completely.

"Do you really think we would've stood by and let you attack Malfoy like you did Pansy?" I jumped in George's hold, eyes widening when Fred's voice came from behind me. Long fingers steadied me, applying just enough pressure for me to feel them at my hips. His breath blew past my ear and I bit my lip.

 _This was way out of my area of comfort, but fuck if I can't tell them to back away right now._

"You two were in your own world of anger," I breathed out, practically _relishing_ the way George's lips just barely touched mine. This had to be a joke to them. They had to be messing with me. Yeah, that's right. It was just another joke. They were just kidding. It was alright. "You wouldn't have been able to stop me in time."

 _Stop lying to yourself._

Fred tightened his hold on my hips and George pulled me just a tad bit closer. "Wanna test that theory?" They both asked, identical deeper voices sending the oddest sensation of warmth to shoot from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I had the strongest urge to clench my thighs together when a painful throbbing pulsed between my legs and the mortification of that urge cleared my head just a bit.

That was definitely my breaking point and it was time for me to go.

"I need to go," I squeaked out, surprising both boys when I managed to lurch out of their grasps and sprint from the Room of Requirement, face bright red and stomach fluttering. The nausea wasn't going to be held back from much longer.

I was going to be sick.

* * *

For the first time in my life, I was glad to be outside in the freezing cold. I felt loads better after emptying my stomach, despite feeling revolted for the feeling. I hated throwing up. It was so gross.

The sun was shrouded behind grey clouds that likely promised rain or snow. One of the two. This time of year, no one could ever predict what the weather was going to do anymore. The wind was just as cold now as it was this morning, seemingly blowing through my jacket and wracking my frame with small shivers. I couldn't go inside yet. The cold was keeping my mind open and clear, but it was only an excuse.

I was hiding and there was no point denying that.

"Jesus, what is wrong with me?" I asked myself, wrapping my arms around my knees and pressing my face against them.

"I don't think there's anything truly wrong with you." Long and wavy blond hair caressed my hands as Luna crouched before me, dreamy eyes blinking languidly at me. "But that's just my personal opinion."

"Hi, Luna," I greeted her shakenly, teeth chattering.

She smiled at me. "Hello again. Did you enjoy the game this morning? I thought it went splendidly. Harry did very well today, don't you agree?"

"Yeah, he did." I did a quick once over of her person and my head snapped up sharply. "Luna! What on earth are you doing out here with no shoes and no jacket?!"

Luna took stock of her person and her slender shoulders shrugged half-heartedly as if she didn't care. "Unfortunately all of my shoes have mysteriously disappeared and I haven't been able to find any of my sweaters lately." She leaned closer to me, whispering, "I suspect Nargles are behind it."

I had no idea what the hell a Nargle was, but I didn't believe they were behind her missing items.

 _"Our House isn't really nice to Luna for some reason," Terra admitted, scowling as we lounged in an empty classroom, taking a short break from our Summoning Charm practice. "I never understood why. Luna is such a sweetheart despite her weirdness."_

 _"What do you mean?" I asked._

 _"They take her stuff when she's not looking," Terra said, fists clenching angrily. "They hide her clothes and her shoes and lie to her face when she asks about them and then laugh when she blames them on imaginary creatures they've never heard of. It makes me so angry. She doesn't deserve that kind of treatment."_

 _"That's awful..."_

"Don't you have any extras?" I asked, concerned that she was going to get sick with her lack of protection against the cold. She didn't seem bothered by the chill in the air, but that was beside the point.

Luna shrugged again, standing. "I have some spares somewhere. They always turn up before classes start, so I'm not very worried about them."

"Do you want to go back inside? We could go see the House Elves for a snack or something warm," I offered, not really wanting to do just that, but throwing it out there anyway. A hot chocolate sounded really good right now, but Luna saw through me, smiling keenly at me before shaking her head.

"No, it's okay. I have something I need to do first." She offered me a hand, eyes seeming to know my thoughts as they sparkled. "You're welcome to come with me. You might enjoy a break from the castle, anyway. You look like you need it."

I didn't hesitate to take her hand and to follow her towards the path into the Forbidden Forest.

"You looked like you were struggling with something," Luna commented, bare feet crunching on leaves and the random twigs. I didn't understand how she wasn't even flinching from crushing said twigs. I would be loudly cursing and hopping around on one foot if I did it.

"I have a lot on my mind," I admitted quietly. Thoughts of what had happened barely even an hour ago threatened to make an appearance, but Luna's voice thankfully chased them away.

"I've heard that it helps to talk," She said, glancing at me out of the corner of her eyes. "Daddy says that being open with a stranger is very relieving when talking about your problems."

I seriously doubted I would be telling my internal struggles to a stranger, but I didn't say that out loud. "You're not a stranger to me, Luna" I denied. "It's just a lot to process and it's hard putting into words what I'm feeling."

Luna hummed thoughtfully, hopping onto a thick trunk splayed across her path and lightly jumping down. Her feet made barely a sound on the leaf-ridden ground. "Say the first thing that comes to mind," She said.

 _Lips brushed against mine as a deep voice spoke and I silently wished they would just inch that little bit closer and_ —

If Luna saw how quickly my face reddened, she didn't comment. "I want Umbridge to leave."

That was barely the tip of the iceberg of feelings.

Luna nodded solemnly. "I understand that," She said. "A lot of people don't think too highly of her, except for the Slytherins. They like her and she seems to favor them. She's not a very good teacher, though."

"She's awful," I growled under my breath. "If I have to read one more boring chapter of how to properly say a Stunning Spell, I'm going to Stun her straight back to the Ministry."

Luna's lips twitched into a smile. "That would be quite a way to go," She agreed. "I'm sure Harry would be happy to help you if you asked him."

I chuckled, already imagining the look of glee on his face. "I can imagine he would be very happy."

"He never smiles outside of lessons," Luna commented absently, looking around. We had reached a small break in the trees, standing just outside of a small clearing with wavy grass that reached our calves and the smell of dandelions heavy in the air. There was another smell in the air that I couldn't quite pinpoint, nose scrunching up. Whatever it was, it didn't really smell pleasant. A dead animal maybe? "He seems to enjoy teaching us and his lessons are always educational."

"He's a good teacher," I agreed. "I'm hoping he'll squeeze in some more lessons before Christmas comes around now that the first match is out of the way and Angelina can somewhat relax now. Luna, where exactly are we?"

Luna didn't answer me instantly, instead reaching into the bag she had around her shoulders and pulling out a lump of something red and dripping. Belatedly, I realized that it was flesh and that it was dripping blood between her fingers, staining her pale skin and the grass at her feet a dark red. A strange sound echoed in the air and I tilted my head, listening and hearing it again, this time closer.

It was a shriek, a strange one that sounded ghastly and came from some type of monstrous bird.

"What is that?" I asked lowly, stepping closer to the unaffected girl, who hadn't moved an inch from her spot. She held her arm out away from her, holding the position.

"Thestrals."

A thud in front of us was heard and all of a sudden, said Thestral was there, shaking it's long mane of dark hair and crying that high-pitched shriek that didn't sound so terrifying now that I knew what it was. That also explained the smell of a corpse.

"You do this often?" Luna took slow steps towards the skeletal horse, smiling when it unwaveringly walked right up to her and carefully ate the piece of meat out of her hand. I had a sneaking suspicion the House Elves were the reason she had that kind of fresh meat just sitting in her bag.

"Often enough," She said, scratching the Thestral's reptilian face. It gave a strangled gurgle, enjoying her gentle ministrations and nudging her hand closer to its ears. She obligingly went higher. "They're not domesticated, per se, but they're very loyal to Hagrid and aren't afraid of the students who can see them."

"But they're afraid of them." Milky white eyes opened and met mine. The unease that had once shot through me at seeing such eyes didn't make an appearance anymore and the Thestral seemed to sense that, tossing its head and allowing Luna to drop her hand.

Luna nodded sadly and looked down between us. Something nudged my leg and I was only slightly shocked to see a baby Thestral rubbing against my thigh, gurgling happily. Ignoring the fact that I could see every bone in its body and how its leathery wings clipped the barely exposed skin of my ankles, it was kind of cute.

"They're quite gentle creatures," Luna explained, pulling out another bloody chunk and handing it to me. I took it with no small amount of disgust and gave it to the baby, who didn't hesitate to snatch it out of my palm, noisily chewing and swallowing it. "They're not very well-liked, though. People avoid them."

"Because they're different," I finished her unspoken thought.

Thestrals were different. They were a mix of what felt like three different animals and couldn't be seen unless someone had seen death and accepted it. People didn't like the unknown and Thestrals were unknown with the exception of those that can see them. My fingers gently brushed against the leathery neck of the baby at my side, its skin as cold as my fingers.

"Who did you have to see die, Luna?" I asked, somewhat abashed by my forwardness but curious nonetheless.

If I offended her, she didn't say, readily saying, "My Mom. She was a wonderful Witch, though she liked to experiment." Her face dropped sadly and it was the first negative emotion I'd ever seen on the normally happy girl. "One day, one of her experiments went horribly wrong. I was only nine."

"I'm sorry," I apologized, turning my head to look at her. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

Luna shook her head. "It's alright. It was a long time ago and I have Daddy. That's all I need." The crunching of leaves around us signaled the arrival of more Thestrals who were no doubt drawn to the scent of fresh blood. "What about you if you don't mind me asking?"

"Car accident," I murmured, visions of that sunny day and the screeching of tires still going strong despite it being eight years. "My parents had taken my sister and I to London for a family vacation. We had been waiting at a crosswalk, talking and not paying any sort of attention. I remember a man in front of us going first when the light turned green, confidently moving forward without checking to make sure everyone was stopped. A car ran the red light and the man got hit. He died on impact."

To my seven-year-old mind, it had been the worst day of my life. To see a broken body landing feet away from you, blood running freely from a cut on his head and nose bleeding from being broken had left a scar that I doubted would disappear. Coping had gotten easier and easier as the years went on, but to think that man could have actually been myself or my parents or _Hailey_...

It was a thought I didn't want to entertain.

"That's awful." Luna reached out to graze her fingers against the back of my hand, silently offering comfort. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

I smiled and accepted her hand, giving it a grateful squeeze. Terra was right. Luna really was a sweetheart and it made no sense why she wasn't very liked much by the others. I resolved to watch out for her more.

"Maybe you should send a letter to one of your parents or your sister," Luna suddenly said, releasing my hand. I furrowed my eyebrows at her, slightly confused. "You sound close to them. Maybe they will be more help to you than I will."

"No," I denied. "You've been a wonderful help, Luna. Thank you."

I had meant every word of it and Luna heard the sincerity in my voice, her smile brightening. The clouds chose that moment to part and beams of sunlight shone down on the clearing, illuminating the group of Thestrals that had gathered around us.

I spent the rest of the day outside in the cold with Luna, enjoying her silent company and feeding the gentle creatures of Death.

* * *

Finny hooted impatiently from above me, disrupting the sleeping owls around him and getting dirty looks for his squawking. I shushed him, impatiently holding my arm out for him to land on as I reread the short letter I had written not even thirty minutes ago. I wanted to make this quick since it was quickly getting dark outside and I wanted to get back to the castle as soon as I could.

Mainly to avoid Fred and George, but that was irrelevant right now.

 _Hailey,_

 _I have an issue, but you need to keep this between us and only us. I don't want Mom or Dad finding out right now, so please burn this letter when you're done reading it. I need your utmost seriousness right now, so no funny business and no sarcasm. Just your usual bluntness. Please._

 _What would you call it when your stomach rolls and you get lightheaded around a pair of Twins who have no boundaries for personal space and like to tease and prank? I've never been close to them before this year, but both boys are hard to ignore when they're right up in my business and demand my presence every second of every day._

 _REMEMBER TO BURN THIS LETTER WHEN YOU'RE DONE, FOR GOD'S SAKES._

 _The Better Sister_

"Fly quickly, Finny," I instructed, attaching the letter to his waiting leg. "This is to go to Hailey and Hailey only. Understand? You are not to stop when Mom offers you treats or not even when Dad uses his stern voice on you. This letter cannot be seen by anyone other than my sister, understand?" Finny hooted despondently, no doubt sad that he wouldn't be getting any treats this trip around. I nuzzled his face affectionately, smiling when he cuddled back. "Be safe, okay? And remember, go straight to Ravenclaw Tower when you come back. Find Terra." I raised my arm and Finny gave a mighty flap of his wings, disappearing into the night sky.

* * *

 _"What's the sky like?"_

 _A thoughtful hum. How could one even describe something so vast? There didn't seem to be enough words to accurately describe such a thing. "Blue. Like your eyes."_

 _A nose scrunched up and the bedridden boy sniffed. "My eyes are hideous. I hate my eyes. I want yours and Dad's eyes."_

 _It was sad that he thought like that. He had such beautiful eyes. Truly envy worthy eyes. "They're not. Trust me. I've seen some hideous looking eyes."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Have you ever seen eyes as pitch black as night?"_

 _Blue eyes widened and he couldn't hide the tremor in his voice. "Black eyes? Those actually exist?"_

 _A nod. "Of course they do. Only the wicked have those eyes. That and red ones. You never want those eyes, sweet one. Believe me when I say you have beautiful eyes. You're lucky to have such beauty."_

 _He snorted, diffusing the tension that had begun to permeate the room. "Don't be silly. You make it sound all flowery and girly."_

 _He never did have good influences in his life. It could only be desperately hoped that when he grew up, he would grow up to be a better person than anyone in the family or the people that were slowly invading Hogwarts and tainting the once beautiful school black._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELFFFFFFF. I FEEL LIKE THE BIGGEST COCK BLOCKER EVER. xD

UGHHHHH.

Sorry not sorry.

 _Lots of hearts and appreciation to:_

 **EviColt:**

I LOVE to read, oh my Goodness. I would spend the rest of my life reading if I could. I wish I could get paid for reading. That would be a wonderful career.

ME TOO! I'm honestly not surprised that I was sorted into Slytherin, though. My best friend says all the time I'm the perfect Slytherin. xD HAHAHA!

 **Ussmaple:**

I hope to never disappoint you! Thank you so much for your wonderful support! *Hearts*

 **veronicamusica:**

The dream seems to be pretty popular so far! I was quite surprised. That section gave me a huge fit. I wanted it to be perfect, but it wasn't gonna happen. HNNNGGGG.

Slytherin is a wonderful House to be a part of, in my opinion. I'm not ambitious, per se, but I know I have it in me.

 **ArandoraStar:**

IS IT REALLY? That is probably the one thing that I stress over the most. I want their interaction to be as natural as possible. x))))

You're the first Ravenclaw I've met in a long time! A lot of my friends were placed into Gryffindor with the random Slytherin in there, but I have only two friends who were sorted into Ravenclaw. No Hufflepuff sightings yet, unfortunately.

 **Madam3M00dy:**

Thank you so MUCH! *Hearts*

The scene on the stairs happened in real life. I fangirled so hard at that scene, I swear. Just like I fangirled with this chapter. xDDD

 **Guest:**

Thank you! I'M SO RELIEVED. *Hearts:

 **Moonlite 880:**

I have to agree with you. It really is so adorable. It makes me want to giggle and coo and awe over it like it was my own child, I swear.

I'm ridiculous and a lost cause. xD

 _End of Responses!_

 **Question from Chapter 11:** I'm a proud Slytherin and I will never not be proud of it.

Question for this Chapter: **Do you feel like you were Sorted into the wrong House at any point in time?**

Once again, your reviews are so appreciated and loved and handled with care. You guys amaze me with the love I've been getting for this story. I couldn't be more thrilled it's so accepted right now. So thank you. *Hearts*

~OQ


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Harry Potter. Never will unfortunately. I do own Hayden, though. And Terra. And any other OC that may pop up in this story.

 **Author's Note:**

Okay. So. I'm not dead. Really I'm not. IT'S BEEN A STRUGGLE THESE PAST FEW MONTHS, OKAY. No but really. I'm sorry. Truly. I can't believe I haven't updated this since APRIL. My heart hurts just thinking about such a time gap. Especially with that last chapter's ending.

Wow. The amount of sarcastic frustration I got from the last chapter astounded me. xD I really was being a cock blocker last chapter. *Laughs* Sorry not sorry.

HELLLLLLOOOOOOOOO. AGAIN. EVERYONE.

I cannot express how much your positive feedback means to me. And the constructive criticism is amazing, too. No Flames so far. *Knocks on Wood* Count myself lucky.

Anyway, let's get this chapter going because I'm hella excited for it and I can barely contain it.

ENJOY!

* * *

 **No Promises.**

 _Chapter F.O.U.R.T.E.E.N_

_"Awareness"_

 _"Awareness is the greatest agent for change." -_ Eckhart Tolle

* * *

It had barely been a month and a half since the D.A. had first been formed and lessons taught and Cho would've thought by now that Marietta would ease up on these almost daily confrontations. The lessons Harry had been giving all of them were amazing and he was such a wonderful teacher, green eyes sharp and never letting anything slip by him. He was fair and didn't play favorites. He gave extra attention to anyone who was struggling with a new spell. He was kind. A natural born leader. Set up the most engaging lessons Cho had ever seen since her fourth year with Professor Lupin or even her fifth year with Moody.

What wasn't there to like?

"We need to report this, Cho!"

Apparently everything, according to Marietta, at least.

"Marietta, please," Cho sighed. "What do you have against these lessons that you're constantly at odds with Harry and wish to report him to Umbridge?"

Marietta dragging Cho into a classroom just outside Ravenclaw Tower was something Cho was unfortunately getting used to. It felt like her best friend believed that if she kept repeating the same argument over and over again, Cho would see reason and that yes, the D.A. was a bad idea and that yes, it was the right thing to do to report the meetings and Harry to Umbridge to save their arses.

Cho, to Marietta's chagrin, didn't see it that way.

"They go against all of the rules Umbridge has recently put up," Marietta said shortly, crossing her arms. The classroom was dark save for the small lamp in the center of the room, casting the girls' shadows against the far wall and the desks Marietta had shoved against the wall in a small act of anger. "We don't need her watching Ravenclaw anymore than she already is. It'll bring shame to our whole House."

Cho snorted. She wasn't particularly impressed with Marietta's weak argument. "I didn't take you for an Umbridge supporter. Just the other day, you called her a vile toad who should be thrown to the Giant Squid for lunch."

"That's beside the point!" Marietta snapped, flushing. "We need to say something. I'm serious, Cho. Potter trying to act like the hero again is going to get us in serious trouble!"

"Harry is trying to _help_ us, Marietta," Cho defended. "This year is important for us. We're sixth years and in a N.E.W.T. Defense class that isn't preparing us for our finals. Do you really want to repeat this class because our Professor believes theory is _safer_ than doing practicals?"

"If it means I can stay on Umbridge's legal side, then yes, I will gladly repeat this class," Marietta said crossly, though mentally, she was dreading repeating a class with Umbridge. Oh, how she despised that woman, but self preservation out-weighed the want to pass a class she can reluctantly re-take.

Cho's disapproving look hit Marietta harder than it ever had before. She was her best friend. She hated when she looked at her like that. "You know that's not what Ravenclaw stands for. You'll be putting our House to shame with that kind of logic. We may not be known for bravery like Gryffindor, but having a backbone is a thing, Marietta."

 _Ouch._

"Cho, I'm not trying to be _brave._ I'm trying to be _sensible_. My _MUM_ is a member of the Ministry of Magic! Do you know the amount of shame and trouble she'd be in if I was caught participating in these meetings? How bad that'll look for me and my family?"

Cho's dark eyes seemed to freeze over with a chilliness Marietta had never seen there before. "So you're doing this to save yourself and your Mum some face? You're the one who signed that paper of your own free will, Marietta. That's all on you."

"Cho—"

"I'll see you around, Marietta." Cho's black hair had barely passed through the door before her sentence was even completely done. She never saw the frustrated tears in Marietta's eyes. She certainly didn't see the person standing stock still just around the corner, brown eyes narrowed as Cho stomped past her.

Luna, who had rounded the corner in search of her friend, called back, "Are you coming to dinner, Terra?"

Terra never turned to acknowledge Luna, too focused on the conversation she had just overheard through a cracked door, but replied nonetheless with, "Yeah, I'm coming, Luna. I got distracted for a second."

Luna came to stand beside Terra, cocking her head to the side. "It must be the work of Nargles," She assumed, looking contemplative. "They've been very good at distracting everyone lately."

A small smile tugged at Terra's lips. "For sure."

A niggling feeling crept up on Luna and she couldn't help asking, "Is there something wrong, Terra?" She had noticed her Housemate had seemed preoccupied as of late, which was pretty normal for O.W.L. students, but Luna thought it was a different sort of preoccupied that wasn't the fretting over assignments type. She couldn't put her finger on it.

Terra shook her head, glancing at the classroom Marietta had yet to leave and turned away to head to dinner. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing, Luna."

Luna frowned openly at Terra's retreating back.

* * *

 _Sunlight was something he had never truly got to experience. Being in and out of St. Mungo's since birth would do that and while swearing curses at the disease that would eventually kill him if a cure wasn't found, it didn't make him feel any better. Nor did it allow him to feel the sun on his skin. Sure, his bed was thankfully positioned right beside a window that allowed sunlight to fall on him, but it_ wasn't the same.

 _He couldn't explain it, but it wasn't the same._

 _Heaving a sigh, he relaxed more into familiar white sheets that his Healer had been kind enough to enchant with a Heating Charm. Shivers constantly wracked his frame without the extra warmth and he'd fallen sick more times than he could count before the Healer had caved and cast the spell. There was little he could do in his isolated room other than rest, but he'd done_ plenty _of that over the past couple months since he'd been admitted. Gifts were checked thoroughly before given out, but he had little hope he'd get some form of entertainment._

 _His Mother was a strict woman and had an iron hand wrapped around the family. Pale lips pulled down forlornly, a sheet being pulled over his head to hide the tears that were inevitably coming whenever he thought about his Mother._

 _He wished she were nicer to him and his sadsad_ sad **sad** _sister._

* * *

Never let it be said that boys can't be as stubborn as girls because if I ever hear a man complaining about a woman being difficult, I will forever remember this day as proof that men are just as bad as women.

"No way."

"Please, Hayden?"

"No."

"Don't be a spoiled sport."

"No.

"You're being lame."

"I enjoy being lame. My answer is still no." I yelped when Fred and George suddenly dropped their full weight onto my shoulders, draping themselves across my front and back and effectively forcing the book I had been reading to drop to the ground. I heaved a groan and wiggled underneath them, sighing when they didn't even budge. "Come on, you guys. Why can't you take no for an answer?"

"You've hardly been outside all weekend!" Lee said from beside my chair, arms crossed and leaning his full weight on one foot. He looked like he was about to lecture me, though he looked very unintimidating decked out in his winter gear and bright orange gloves and hat. Well, he was already lecturing me, I guess, but whatever. "Come with us. You look like you could use a break."

I managed to extract one of my arms from underneath Fred, who was rearranging himself so that he was sitting across my lap, much to my utter embarrassment, and tried shoving him off as gently as possible. He wound his arms around my neck and gave me a shit-eating grin when I glared at him.

 _This is so fucking backwards. Shouldn't I be the one sitting on Fred's lap with my arms around his neck or something?_

My eye twitched at that thought. "I was outside all day yesterday, you guys," I grunted out, tempted to yank at Fred's hair to see if that would get him off of me. Him and George weren't small by any means of the word and with their combined weight, it made moving and breathing a tad hard. "I endured the cold enough to last me the next decade, so again, I am not going outside with you guys. Besides, me and snow don't mix. I hate the snow as much as I hate wind."

To my utter horror, it had begun to snow right when I had reached the castle last night, thick snowflakes pelting the castle and sticking to the ground all throughout the night. We had a solid two feet of snow and everyone was clearly enjoying it, screams and laughter echoing from outside as sleds and toboggans were being put to use. It was unreal how many people were outside at this time. It wasn't even breakfast time yet.

I hated it. It was November. The first week of November! Why the hell were we getting so much snow right now? My Grandma used to say the earlier it snowed, the worse the actual winter season would be. I lamented a lost peaceful Christmas, dreading the amount of snow London was bound to get.

"You were outside?" Fred asked.

I arched an eyebrow. "Yes? Is that shocking?"

George shrugged his shoulders before second guessing and nodding his head instead. "Just a bit." He didn't flinch when I swatted at his arm.

"For your information, I spent the day with Luna," I grumbled. "And let me just throw it out there that Luna is far better company than you three." Lee gave an indignant squawk while the Twins simultaneously chorused, "You wound us, Hayden dear." I rolled my eyes. "You'll live. Now get up. You're crushing me."

George wound his arms around my waist from behind while Fred tightened his grip around my neck. "Only if you go outside with us."

"Do you two not know the meaning of the word no?"

"No," They chimed.

Obviously with the Twins being just as stubborn as I was, there was no moving the two of them off of me unless I had help, which I didn't see any of that coming anytime soon considering almost the whole House was outside or not in the Tower. Ignoring them was also an option, but that would only work for so long before they realized what I was doing and change tactics. Another horrifying option was them carting me out of the Tower against my will like they had done once before and I wouldn't put it past them to do it now just to get their way.

I'd rather avoid that.

Or I could just hex them and get it over with, but then again, they'd get back at me for it and I mentally shivered at how the Twins have gotten payback against somebody who did them wrong. I decided not to be added to that list.

Which meant letting them win this round and going outside in the freezing cold with them and Lee. I hated myself at times like this.

"Fine," I sighed out, ignoring how the Twins and Lee all high-fived each other, "but it's only going to be for half an hour. I have stuff to do today."

"We're getting you out of your corner in the Common Room," Lee retorted. "That's a big enough win for me."

"There's this wonderful thing called studying, Lee," I informed sarcastically. "Unlike you, I actually want to pass all of my OWL's."

"That hurts," He deadpanned.

"Cry me a river," I replied, internally cringing at how mean I sounded. Irritation with all three boys was plainly audible in my voice and I gave the Twins a forceful shove to get them off of me before climbing to my feet. "I'll meet you outside." I quickly gathered my books and hurried away from the knowing glints in all of their eyes before they could start questioning me.

Lavender was thankfully the only one residing in the dormitory when I stumbled in, looking up from her spot on her bed. She was dressed like she was preparing to go outside, wearing a maroon coat with fur lining the hood and thick but stylish looking boots with buckles running across and on the sides. Being the sucker that I was for cute boots, I immediately added them to my hopeful Christmas list to give to my Mom.

"Heading out Lavender?" I asked her curiously, dropping my books on my bed. Being magical had its perks, especially since it barely took a second to repair any damages done to school books.

"Parvati and I are spending the day together," Lavender said, leaning over to fix the buckles at her ankle. "She said something about wanting to meet up with Padma and Ernie for dinner before enjoying the snow while it lasts."

A look outside had my lips turning down. "I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon, Lavender."

"Don't sound so excited," She teased, standing. A small wave of her wand had her hair braided within seconds before she pulled on a plain black beanie over her curls, adjusting it in the mirror. "I heard you and the boys downstairs." Oh boy. "You don't sound very happy about going with them."

"I don't like going outside," I mumbled, turning away from Lavender to pull on a thicker sweater my sister had gotten for me last year. "It's too cold and they couldn't seem to take no for an answer."

"Some girls would kill to be you," Lavender commented casually. I blinked, giving her a side glance before continuing my search for my jacket. Where was the stupid thing?

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking under my bed. Nothing but a dust bunny. I frowned, wondering where I could've possibly misplaced it.

"Surely you know how popular the Twins and Lee are, right?" Lavender asked in disbelief, watching me through the mirror.

"So? What's that got to do with girls dying to be me?" Where was Lavender even going with this? Said girl huffed exasperatedly, turning sharply on her heel and making her braid swing around to smack her other shoulder as she placed her hands on her hips, looking oddly like a disapproving mother catching her child lying to her.

"Are you daft, Walters?" She demanded. I gave her a reproachful glare, slowly rising back to my feet. Apparently Fred and George and Lee were popular with the crowds. Wonderful for them, but did that really warrant Lavender calling me _daft_ of all things? It sounded something like what Hermione would say before she took points from someone.

"Care to enlighten me, Brown?" I asked stiffly. Lavender gave an exasperated sigh like she was talking to a slow person.

"Oh come on, Walters," She bemoaned, rolling her eyes. "Don't tell me you haven't seen it."

"Seen what?" The words were forced from behind gritted teeth, but Lavender didn't seem to notice my temper rising, plowing on.

"The Weasleys and Lee are known to _everyone_ ," She placed heavy emphasis on that word, drawing it out for a whole breath before continuing, "and that includes the staff and those above and below our year!"

"Okay? And?"

Lavender looked close to tearing her own hair out and while her expression would've been amusing, I couldn't find it in me to look for the humor in this situation. "How do you not—" She broke off and shook her head, muttering a frustrated, "Nothing. Nevermind. See you around, Hayden," before leaving me to watch her back in confusion.

* * *

I was already regretting my decision to go outside.

" _Fred, I swear to God, if you throw one more_ —" I spluttered around the snowball that hit my collarbone, spraying cold icicles all up into my face and eyes. My cheeks were burning from the cold air and I couldn't feel my ears anymore. The icy wind ignored the warm fur-lined jacket I was wearing, seemingly blowing right through it straight to my bones. My teeth clenched tightly as I glared at the boys.

Both Twins laughed at my expense, fully belly laughs that nearly made them collapse in the foot deep snow that barely reached their knees. Their enchanted snowballs floated lazily around their heads, ready to be used whenever they were done laughing. It was a simple Levitation Charm, but I hated both Twins for using it so flawlessly for something as silly as a snowball fight.

"Did you see her face, Freddie?" George cried, slapping his brother on the back.

"I sure did, Georgie," Fred sniggered.

"If looks could kill!" They crowed before going into another session of howling laughter.

"I swear to God, you two," I growled lowly, crossing my arms tightly. "I will go back inside. I don't need to be out here."

"Don't be such a sour puss, Hayden!" Lee said, smirking. He lazily twirled his wand in small circles, his own snowballs following the motion. "Have some fun! You're a witch, aren't you? Get back at them!"

Be the mature one and walk away or get revenge?

Easy pick.

I didn't even get the chance to get back at the Twins because as soon as I pulled my wand out, one of the windows from Gryffindor Tower swung open and Ron's angry head popped out. "Hey! Quit with all this racket or I'll dock points from you lot!" Any other words he wanted to add were cut off by snowballs sailing into his face courtesy of his wonderful brothers. Fred and George howled with laughter when Ron ducked back inside quickly, high fiving each other.

"You guys are jerks," I deadpanned, hiding my giggles behind my hand.

"That's alright with us," They chimed. They eagerly started pulling me towards one of the bigger hills on the grounds, chattering away about sledding down it as Lee lagged behind us.

"This can end badly so fast," I said, staring apprehensively at the bottom. We were facing the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid's hut just a mile to my right and the lake to my left. We were the only ones brave enough to be on this part of the grounds. Everyone else was closer to the Entrance Hall doors. "You couldn't pick a better spot? Why couldn't we be closer with everyone else?"

"This is the best spot!" Fred disagreed, conjuring up a huge toboggan. He motioned for me to sit.

"You're going to get us killed, Fred Weasley," I said, frowning at him disapprovingly. He shot me a grin that showed off his perfectly straight and white teeth. A small flush spread across my nose.

"If we're over here, we won't risk getting into a crash with everyone else," George explained, leaning over my shoulder. "It's safer this way!"

"I'm not going down this hill in that deathtrap." Maybe the boys were right. I sure sounded like a spoil sport right about now.

"Don't be like that!" The Twins said. They tugged me forward, not really forcing me, but still putting some effort into getting me to go. Lee gave me an encouraging push.

"We're all going together!"

"You're all crazy," I said as I reluctantly climbed on. The Twins quickly squashed me into the middle as Lee took the last spot. A flick of their wands and we were flying down the hill at what I knew to be a dangerous speed. A gleeful laugh escaped my lips anyway as the boys whooped the whole way down.

I lasted maybe another hour outside with them before I decided enough was enough, leaving the boys to their shenanigans and headed back inside, my entire body shivering and shaking from the cold. I blew into my ice cold fingers as the castle's warmth hit me as soon as the doors closed behind me. Dinner was still going on inside the Great Hall and I still had a couple hours before curfew. I debated going to see Elliot in the Hospital Wing or heading back to Gryffindor Tower to relax with my book again.

A Tripping Hex distracted me from making a decision. I yelped as my knees and arms connected harshly with the hard floor, hissing under my breath at the sting that followed.

"Whoops, sorry about that, Walters. That wasn't meant for you," A snide voice commented. I barely caught the dark ponytail flitting up the stairs with Tracey and Millicent right behind her before the three girls disappeared.

"Of course it was Pansy," I grumbled. "It's always Pansy."

A hand appeared in front of my face and I blinked up at the pale face of Astoria Greengrass. She waited patiently until I finally took her hand and helped me to my feet. "Ignore Pansy," She said. "She's still pissed about a fight she clearly lost."

The area was completely devoid of any students or teachers, so I quickly came to the conclusion that the younger Slytherin was only approaching me because none of the other Houses were in sight. She made the correct assumption that I was one of the few who didn't mind interacting with her despite her House.

I tilted my head, scratching my neck. "I'm trying to forget about that," I mumbled. "It wasn't one of my finer moments."

Astoria sneered, but it held no real animosity. It was like a reflex. "It was long coming in my opinion. I'm not defending you or her," She denied before I could open my mouth. "I just don't tolerate bullies like her. Being a Pureblood shouldn't bring such privileges." She shrugged. "But I'm of the minority in that mindset. It doesn't matter."

A Pureblood from the Greengrass family of all families to not have a stick so far up her ass believes Purebloods shouldn't be so entitled because of their clean blood? I've officially seen it all. "Thank you," Was all I said. She could've taken it multiple different ways and Astoria clearly caught that as she took the safe route and waved it away.

"Don't thank me. There's no need for it." She pursed her lips, as if she had swallowed something sour. I arched an eyebrow questioningly. She swallowed and almost grudgingly said, "I've seen you and Elliot in the Library—" Dear Merlin, how many people had actually seen us? "—and he's always going on and on about how great of a teacher you are, so..."

I caught her unspoken question. Slytherin pride wouldn't allow her to admit to a Gryffindor that she needed help. "Which subject?"

"Herbology," She admitted. She sagged at the small, tentative smile I gave her. Lucky for her, Professor Sprout gave Fifth Years permission to be in the greenhouses to study for our Herbology O.W.L.

"I can help you."

* * *

It turns out the part Astoria was struggling most with was the de-fanging section. Not that I could blame her. I struggled with it then and I still struggle with it now during Fifth Year Herbology. But I could still give her tips that Professor Sprout had given me.

She snarled at the Fanged Geranium that snapped at her careful fingers, glaring at the hissing plant. "I hate this stupid thing."

"Fanged Geraniums are very temperamental," I explained. "If they aren't taken care of enough, they get snappy and angry just like this one." I pointed at the pot. "You can see that the soil it's in is bone dry, which means that it hasn't been watered yet today and explains why it's not being so cooperative with you."

"They're not very cooperative anyway," Astoria disagreed, filling up a water can anyway. "The moody things give even Professor Sprout a hard time."

"They're not tamed creatures," I said, smiling at the disgruntled third year. She was far more expressive when she was alone than any time I'd seen her around her own House. It brought out a whole new side to the Slytherin girl.

"They should be," Astoria snarled as she watered the plant. It swayed backwards as the soil soaked in the water desperately, hissing noises escaping its fanged mouth.

"Now remember, when you de-fang a Geranium, you have to assert yourself with it," I explained as she put the water can do. She hovered at my side as I drew my wand. "Right now, this one doesn't fear you cause you're all bark, but no bite." The Muggle saying flew over her head, but she understood that I was slightly insulting her and scowled at me. It was easily ignored. "You need to show it who's boss so that it won't even think about attacking you. If you do that, it'll be wary because it'll know that some type of pain will follow."

It was hard expressing the feelings I was feeling as I tutored Astoria. She came from one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Pureblood families, but she was very obviously different from the others. She portrayed all the Slytherin qualities Salazar Slytherin himself named his House for, but it wasn't to the degree of the others. She cared, but she hid it behind a straight and cold face.

I was definitely wrong about Slytherin to a certain degree.

"Now you try." Astoria stepped closer, wand held up, but nervousness obvious on her face. This would be her first time actually casting _Incendio._ I reached out and gently grasped her wand hand, feeling her tense up before relaxing. "Breath, Greengrass. You control the spell." I urged her hand to raise higher and released it.

The Fanged Geranium hissed when she took a step closer. Her shoulders raised with the deep breath she took. " _Incendio!"_ There was a strangled squeal and the plant retreated. Astoria gave a pleased smirk.

"Well done, Greengrass," I praised. "That was good."

A strange expression crossed the younger girl's face. "Astoria."

"Huh?"

"My name is Astoria," She said with the confidence of a well made choice. "I think you've earned that right to call me by my given name."

I only took a second to respond back. "Then you can just call me Hayden."

The winds were shifting.

* * *

"I've reached a decision."

"And what would that be?"

"I'll allow him in for one session. One wrong move and he's gone."

"All he needs is a chance. Thank you for giving that to him."

"Don't make me regret it."

* * *

 _I was back at the lake. The one with the beautiful sparkling waters and the ripples that broke the smooth surface. Home. I was home again. But not really. A second home that was a once a year trip. It made sadness churn in my belly._

 _"Don't look so sad, Hayden." A hand gently brushed against my bare arm. It grabbed my attention immediately._

 _"Sadness doesn't look good on you, ya know," Another voice said, his hand grazing my other arm._

 _"I'm not sad," I denied, eyes still captured with the water._

 _"Then why do you look so close to tears?" I finally turned to face the Twins. Merlin, they looked dashing in their casual long-sleeved shirts and plain black pants. Identical faces were piercing holes into my heart with the intensity behind their eyes. It was like they would go to Hell and back just to make me happy for even a second. Warmth flooded my whole body._

 _Such sweethearts._

 _"I miss this place," I admitted. "It's special to me."_

 _Fred smiled and a hand reached out to cup my cheek. "Soon," Was all he said._

 _"Soon?"_

 _George mirrored his brother's action, his fingers curling into the baby hairs by my ears. "Soon," He said softly, eyes gentle and warm and so very soft._

My eyes opened before I could inquire what either boy meant. I jumped at a sharp tapping noise and sat up sharply to pull my curtains back. The tapping at the window revealed Finny flapping against the cold winds that buffeted his small body. I hurried to let him in before he woke the girls, reaching an arm out for him to perch on. He hooted a greeting before presenting his leg to me.

I frowned. He was holding two letters. Opening the first one revealed that it was from Terra and I had to smile at her response.

 _Your bird is a Merlin damned slave driver and shouldn't be allowed to deliver letters. The little bastard shows up at the most ungodly hours. It better not be a habit or I'll feed you to the Giant Squid. I would've had him returned this morning, but I didn't see you at all today._

 _You're welcome._

I snorted at her sarcasm and folded the letter back up. Giving Finny a good scratch, I opened up the last letter, which had to of been from my sister.

 _You're stupid. Who's the older one here? Quit ignoring your feelings._

Her letter crumpled in my hands. I sighed and folded my face in my hands.

Damn it.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

If it's not obvious, my writing style has changed these past few months. Wowie.

You guys, your continued support and PM's have been such a blessing. Like seriously, it's such a motivation to hear from you guys. Thank you so so much.

 _Lots of hearts and appreciation to:_

 **Faby0411:** YOUR REVIEW LITERALLY HAD ME CRYING. I could not stop laughing. xD I'm sorry I'm gonna be that cockblocker, but there will be plenty more moments like that in future chapters!

 **Kathiena:** You, ma'am, are the first Hufflepuff I've had so far! None of my friends are Hufflepuffs unfortunately. They're all Gryffindors or Ravenclaws. Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it so much!

 **HigherAngel:** Any suggestions you have would be appreciated! I've never been comfortable publishing my works online, but any feedback you can give would mean the world. I'm still learning and I'm a hard critic on myself.

I did know that! The amount of posters or drawings for James and Oliver for their characters' birthday was astounding! I made one myself. *Laughs*

 **EviColt:** I seriously love reading your reviews. They make my bad days so much brighter. *Laughs*

OH MAN. I RELATE. I WANT THAT TO HAPPEN, TOO, BUT. BUT. RUSHING. I AM NOT A RUSHER. Okay maybe I am a little bit, but I can't rush this one. I LOVE Luna. SO much. She's one of my favorite female characters. Terra is a new step I've been taking with my writing by incorporating her into this story. I've read so many stories where authors have added in their own twists and the lashback I've read in the reviews is incredible. It made me nervous adding her in, but I'm taking a chance with her!

GIRRRRLLLLLL. DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE TWINS. PHEW. I ABOUT LOST MY SHIT.

If that was a thing, I'd quit my hosting AND factory job and make a comfortable living of being paid to read.

I've always been a Slytherin. I've taken so many tests and I've only gotten a different result ONCE and that was Ravenclaw, which astounds me because I don't believe myself to be a wise and intellectual person.

 **TheRealTaylor13:** YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED.

 **Tigerrosewood:** That seems to be the general consensus with everyone else. *Laughs* Please forgive me.

 **veronicamusica:** I personally think it's wonderful that you have all the House aspects. I can't say the same for myself. *Laughs* I just turned 21 and Lord. My results have not changed since I was 14.

 **SG1 SGMe:** Your review reminds me a lot of a friend who did the same thing! I think it's great *Laughs*

 **FabulousMoonie:** Thank you!

 **TetiSherii:** I actually thank you for pointing that out to me again because these past 7 months, I've spent a lot of time rereading this story and cringing at my mistakes and LET ME TELL YOU. WHEN I GOT TO THAT CHAPTER, I DEADASS SCREAMED IN HORROR. I went back to the pre-written copy and oh my God. There it was. The horrible mistake that I told myself I'd fix, but typed it out without thinking and posted it anyway.

I'm deadass the worst human being alive, I swear.

 **pragmatice:** I most certainly will continue to update this story! It's hard with me working 60 hours a week, but I will always find some time to write a little bit at a time until a chapter is finished!

 **Amanda:** OH GIRL. I DID THE SAME READING **Calloniel's Ode to Sleep**! IT'S BY FAR ONE OF THE BEST. BEST. TOKYO GHOUL FANFICTIONS I'VE EVER READ. Like I promised above, I will never abandon this story! It may take some time, but eventually this monster will get finished!

 **PrimarilyConfused:** I am so sorry you have to deal with that. I can't relate much since my Dad hasn't been in the picture since I was 3, but I truly hope you are happy right now. *Hearts*

 _End of Responses!_

 **Question from last chapter:** I don't actually. I feel like I'm not cunning enough or proud to be a Slytherin, but my "I don't give a fuck" streak is a mile long at this point in my life, so I've come to accept that I'll forever be a Slytherin until the day I die. Which I'm 100% okay with.

Question for this chapter: **Which of the 8 movies is your favorite one?**

Your reviews literally mean the world to me once again, you guys. Thank you so much for your continued support. I'm sorry for the length of this chapter, but I figured I might as well not keep you guys waiting any longer. *Hearts*

~OQ


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